Parents’ income to be collected in school funding overhaul
CATHOLIC schools could be in line for a $100 million windfall under a long-waited proposal to overhaul private school funding. SEE HOW THE NEW MODEL WOULD WORK
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A WAR of words has broken out between the Catholic and independent school sectors after the Turnbull Government unveiled a long-waited proposal to overhaul private school funding.
Victoria’s Catholic schools have called for an end to the government’s “sweetheart deal with the wealthiest independent schools”, who in turn have urged it not to succumb to political pressure by seeking a “quick fix” to the issue.
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Catholic schools are potentially in line for a $100 million windfall under the shake-up to education funding, which would see the income and census data of parents collected to determine how much money goes to an independent school.
It would be a major departure from the present system, where the socio-economic status of the whole suburb of each school rather than the students’ families — is looked at to determine funding levels.
The government has yet to formally support the proposal — recommended by the independent The National School Resourcing Board — and has promised to consult schools before making a final decision.
Parents have also been promised their privacy will not be breached by collecting the “de-identified data”.
Catholic schools said the proposal proved the Turnbull Government’s Gonski 2.0 funding overhaul — which began this year — was flawed.
Education Minister Simon Birmingham said collecting income details of parents was not possible when the overhaul started, but had been made so through recent advances in data collection.
He said the government would not adopt any of the changes before 2020, which would provide time to plan.
“An income matching approach would in many instances give a more precise measure of a school community’s capacity to contribute than an average Census-based data may do,” Mr Birmingham said.
“We are pleased with the work the Board has done — it provides a strong case for an alternative approach.”
The Catholic sector has long argued the present system short-changed schools which had more students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Catholic Education Commission of Victoria’s executive director Stephen Elder said the recommendations vindicated its opposition to Gonski 2.0.
“We’ve argued for a system that ends the Turnbull Government’s sweetheart deal with the wealthiest independent schools and instead delivers gains to the schools that need support the most — low-fee Christian, Lutheran, Jewish and Islamic schools, not just in Catholic systems,” he said.
But Independent Schools Victoria chief executive Michelle Green said the government should not be rushed.
“Any government decision to implement the recommendations should be based on the needs of students, rather than appeasing one non-government school sector,” she said.
Ms Green said Mr Birmingham’s suggestion the changes could be implemented from 2020 “appear to be optimistic”.
How it works?
- Going from measure that looks at an area’s income, education and employment to a measure based entirely on parents’ income of individual schools.
- The average income of all parents at a particular school, as well as their Census data including family size, will determine the level of funding.
- Does not apply to state schools.
Why is this needed?
- The actual income of parents at the school is a more accurate measure than looking at the socio-economic status of the surrounding community.
- Low-fee schools and those with higher numbers of students from lower socio-economic families have complained of being short-changed under the current system.
How will it affect your independent school?
It is too early to tell, but schools with students from poorer families will likely see their funding increase, while other schools may see funding go down. Some schools’ funding will barely change.
Winners
- Potentially many Catholic schools
- Independent schools with higher numbers of students from lower socio-economic-economic families.
Losers
- Too early to tell but could be schools with larger numbers of students from high-income families.
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