Private schools deliver funding ultimatum

THE independent schools sector has given the federal government an ultimatum to provide details of its new school funding model.

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THE independent schools sector has given the federal government an ultimatum to provide details of its new school funding model in the next two weeks before it starts briefing more than 300 schools that they stand to lose up to $5000 of government funding for every student.

Appearing before a parliamentary inquiry into the Australian education bill in Brisbane yesterday, the Independent Schools Council of Australia said more than 30 per cent of the 1100 independent schools across the nation would lose money under the settings provided by the government for implementation of the Gonski school funding model.

ISCA executive director Bill Daniels said the figure shifted almost daily depending on the parameters set under the model, which pays a base level of funding for every student with supplementary loadings to account for different levels of disadvantage, including the social background of students, size and location of the school, and disabilities.

The government has been working individually with each state and territory government and the Catholic and independent school sectors to finalise the details of the funding model before premiers are asked to approve it at the Council of Australian Governments meeting in April.

Under questioning from the Liberal backbencher Alan Tudge, Mr Daniels agreed that more than 300 independent schools, or more than 30 per cent, nationally would lose funding under the latest settings available.

"It's schools across the board in terms of socioeconomic circumstances," he said. "There's variation state by state ... there's not a single pattern or even understandable pattern of how this translates school by school."

Mr Daniels said the impact on a school's budget would depend on the transition arrangements that would ease schools into the new funding system, and on the level of indexation set by the government.

Using the latest figures provided, Mr Daniels said "schools lost $2000, $3000, $4000, $5000 per student" with cuts affecting schools across the board, including low-fee schools in disadvantaged areas not just high-fee affluent schools.

A spokeswoman for School Education Minister Peter Garrett said the figures and the modelling used by ISCA were not the government's figures or model.

"Our modelling is being finalised with the most recent schools data. Until that's complete any final school-by-school results is mere speculation," she said. "Our plan will see every schools' funding continue to rise, and no school will lose a dollar per student. That is our rock-solid commitment."

Mr Daniels cited NSW figures that 40 per cent of the state's independent schools would lose money under the current settings, and said this reflected the situation nationally, although it was felt differently from state to state.

He was unable to tell the inquiry the situation in every state, but The Australian understands that Tasmania and the Northern Territory are the only independent sectors where no school stands to lose money under current settings, while every independent school in the ACT faces funding cuts.

A substantial proportion of independent schools in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia also have funding cuts under the latest model, as do some in South Australia.

"None of the 1100 independent schools know what settings are proposed to date," he said. "The settings are changing day by day. On the current settings, a significant number and unacceptable number (of schools will lose money). We don't want to scare the horses but ... we're in a very difficult position. We've said to the government that within the fortnight we feel obliged to inform each independent school of the model that's with us at that time."