School Funding Deal Fails to Deliver
Despite the effusive welcoming by employer organisations, the school funding announcement made by the federal government (Thursday 20 September) still fails to deliver.
The model does not deliver the promise that this government made when it sought election in 2013. It has not upheld the principles, commitments or necessary measures that were established, and committed to by the federal government, arising from the Gonski panel funding review. Most schools, government and non-government are not and will not get the monies promised in 2018 and 2019. The commitment to the student resources standard will not be met.
The announcement locks in unreasonable and irresponsible limits on teacher and staff salaries and conditions for at least the next 5 years and likely for 10 years. All at the very time government should be doing everything it can to attract and retain quality staff.
The model locks in hopelessly inadequate funding for students with disabilities whose learning needs are still not properly measured and resourced. The model means more students with disabilities getting less. This is a matter of national shame.
The announcement largely only adjusts the transition process and timeframe. It reignites the public/private debate that was settled by Gonski 1.0. Funding is to be sector blind and based on need, unless you are in a public school where funding has been and always will be 100% taxpayer funded in some combination of approximately 80% state and 20% federal funding.
The problem has been determining the need/ability to pay component. The SES of census collector districts was found by the Chaney Review to be too coarse and disadvantaged Catholic and other non-government school parents. There will be a new model in 2020 based more closely on the combined ability to pay as indicated by parental taxation returns.
Under the latest package, by 2027 the federal government will reach its target of 20 per cent of government school funding up from its present 17 per cent share with the states, reflecting their traditional responsibility, meeting 80 per cent. The reverse 80:20 ratio applies to non-government schools. Under the package, the federal government will increase its share of non-government school funding from 76 per cent last year to 80 per cent in 2027.
The new model Gonski 2.1 has calmed down the Catholic revolt but caused a revolt from the states for their own accelerated rate of funding increase under threats of not signing up for any funding deals. This is about politics. This is about a class war being fanned by our comrades in green T shirts. The losers are the students in all schools.
The 80:20 federal:state funding split for non-government schools is settled as is the 20:80 federal:state funding split for government schools. Non-government school federal funding is reduced according to ability to pay – which doesn’t apply to government schools. Now let’s get down to measuring need in an equitable fashion and make commitments to segments of our student populations that have their own needs. That would be the kids with special needs.
