Reports today that state and territory governments will be permitted to vary the amount of funding they provide to public schools, relative to the federal funding model, provide further evidence of the limitations of that model, according to Catholic Education Commission of Victoria acting Executive Director Jim Miles.
‘This approach is sensible as the Australian Government’s school funding model is high-level rather than a definitive measure of need,’ Mr Miles said.
‘Crucially, it doesn’t take into account a range of needs and cost factors that can vary by state or by schools.
‘It has shortcomings in the way it funds non-government schools, that have required the creation of the Choice and Affordability Fund.
‘There is also limited evidence to support most of the loading calculations in the federal model.
‘Given these fundamentals, it’s no wonder that state and territory governments don’t want to use the federal funding model to determine how they fund their schools.
‘It has always been intended for school systems – which run over 90% of schools in Australia – to use their own data and funding models to determine what funding their schools receive.
‘As the original Gonski review found in 2011, school systems are best placed to determine what their schools need.
‘And the public school lobby should know this is no cause to try to justify a scaremongering campaign.’
Further information: Christian Kerr 0402 977 352
Download PDF