Tasmania to land $400m extra for schools in better schools deal

TASMANIA has become the fourth jurisdiction to sign up to the federal government's better schools plan.

TASMANIA has become the fourth jurisdiction to sign up to the federal government's better schools plan.

The deal is worth $380m in extra funding for schools in the state over six years, with the federal government contributing $250m and the state $130m.

A deal was made possible after the state resolved the last barrier - concern over the potential loss of GST funds for educational disadvantage - in talks with the office of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Tasmania has received a guarantee it will not lose those funds - $105m a year - by signing up to the plan, formerly known as Gonski.

The island state follows NSW, the ACT and South Australian in signing up to the new funding system.

The extra money means the annual amount spent on Tasmanian schools rises to $1.4 billion in 2019.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, federal education minister Bill Shorten and Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings said in a joint statement the new arrangements for indexation would lead to fairer funding for all schools in the state, benefiting 81,000 students.

All funding will be linked to education reforms aimed at boosting the performance of Australian school students.

Tasmania will focus its increased funding on public schools in the early years of the deal, before increasing funding to non-government sectors.

Almost two-thirds of Australian students will now be covered by the new arrangements that start in 2014.

Governments in Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory continue to hold out.

Mr Rudd has given them until Sunday to sign up.

The prime minister's office says talks are scheduled with Victoria this week, as well as the independent and Catholic schools.

They are also seeking talks with Queensland government officials.

Additional reporting: AAP