Private schools among Victoria’s best funded
Victoria’s private schools top the list for government funding, with public campuses making up just three of the top 10 best funded schools, despite almost two-thirds of Victorian students being educated in the state system.
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Private schools top the list for the greatest allocation of government funding for each Victorian campus.
An analysis of each Victorian school’s state and federal government contributions found Catholic campus St Francis Xavier College brought in the highest level of cash.
The Beaconsfield high school, with almost 3000 students, received $101 million in recurrent government funds over three years, to 2017.
It was the highest funded campus during that time, with a searchable database published today revealing every school’s state and federal contributions.
Principal Vincent Feeney said the Catholic school was grateful for all government support, which in this instance largely paid operating costs.
“It sounds like a lot of money but it isn’t because we’ve lucked out or been particularly fortunate — it just comes down to our size,” Mr Feeney said.
With a lot of migrant, refugee and low income families at the school due to its locations in the burgeoning Beaconsfield, Officer and Berwick areas, Mr Feeney said the money also enabled them to provide a lot of social services for students.
Independent campus Sirius College, in Broadmeadows, came in as the second most funded campus in three years, with more than $96 million in combined governments cash.
Public school Northern Bay P-12 followed soon after, with $95 million.
Of the top 10 best funded schools in the state over three years, just three were public campuses — despite almost two-thirds of students being educated at government schools.
Independent schools dominated the top ten, nabbing 40 per cent of the highest funded campuses, and Catholic schools made 30 per cent.
Of the top 50 government funded schools, just under half were private campuses, which enrolled about a third of students.
While private campuses dominated the top spots for the highest amount of government cash, the money allocated overall to each school sector equated to its student enrolment.
An analysis of data from My School, managed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) shows that public students on average received the most funding per pupil in 2017 — at $11,837.
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Catholic students weren’t far behind, receiving on average $11,155 that year, with independent pupils getting $8,750.
The Victorian Government’s Student Resource Package (SRP) allocates funding depending on the school’s circumstances, with disadvantaged campuses potentially getting more money despite having fewer students.
Education Minister James Merlino said the government this year signed a new bilateral Commonwealth agreement securing Victoria’s public schools an extra $9.8 billion.
But a conflict between the state and federal governments — where Victoria agreed to commit 75 per cent of funding and the Commonwealth a further 20 per cent — has led to a 5 per cent gap of about $500 million a year.
Mr Merlino said the Andrews Government had invested a record $12.6 billion in Victorian schools since coming to office.
Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan said the government’s Our Quality Schools package would see $310 billion provided to schools across the country to 2029.