Principals want grants watchdog

PRIMARY school principals are calling for the creation of an independent body to oversee school grants.

PRIMARY school principals are calling for the creation of an independent body to oversee school grants, saying existing state and federal authorities are outdated.

The Australian Primary Principals Association submission to a federal review proposes a school funding commission to provide "oversight and adjustment" of any new funding model.

The move comes as government high school principals call for all schools -- public and private -- to get a uniform basic grant and for schools to get targeted funding directly, bypassing state governments and private school authorities.

In its submission to the funding review chaired by Sydney businessman David Gonski, the Australian Secondary Principals Association calls for a school resourcing package with a base funding grant for all schools, set at a benchmark amount based on enrolment and student needs in public high schools.

Additional grants would be allocated based on school and student needs, with an amount allocated for the circumstances of the school community, such as a concentration of disadvantage.

There would also be a student amount granted for disability and other needs such as indigenous and refugee students, and a program amount for initiatives across a system or for a special focus, such as technology.

ASPA calls for the base funding to be distributed through governments and private school authorities, but says funding for students need or specific initiatives should be paid directly to the school, bypassing state governments and private school bodies.

In the wake of the federal government's Building the Education Revolution program, the association calls for the depoliticisation of capital works funding so school building programs are "not driven by the political cycle".

In its submission, the association says the government should create a body modelled on the Australian Schools Commission, abolished in 1989. President Norm Hart says the current system is not good enough. "A new body like a statutory schools funding commission is needed."