Far South Coast schools will lose out by $2.65million over the next two years compared to previously agreed funding arrangements claims Eden-Monaro MP Mike Kelly.
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Dubbed “Gonski 2.0”, the federal Coalition government said its Quality Schools reforms will make federal schools funding “fair, transparent, equitable and needs-based”, as it sets aside an extra $18.6billion in funding over the next 10 years.
However, Dr Kelly said the figures don’t stack up and the federal government “is not prepared to listen to the schools, teachers, students or even the Liberal NSW government”.
Meanwhile, the NSW Teachers Federation has released information received under a Government Information Public Access request it said shows the reforms “slashed more than $846million from NSW public schools”.
“This money was due to be provided in 2018 and 2019 under the Gonski funding agreement signed by the Commonwealth and NSW governments,” it said.
Liberal Senator for NSW Arthur Sinodinos hit back at the claims on Wednesday.
“Let’s be clear, no schools in Eden-Monaro will have a reduction in Commonwealth funding in 2018,” he said.
As the issue of education funding is again in the political spotlight, David Gonski has been called back to review how Australia can better educate the next generation.
The original Gonski Review of 2011 faced many hurdles, with some states refusing to sign up and the federal government not following through with the recommended six years' worth of funding.
Mr Gonski’s Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools is due to be completed later this year, with the results set to advise the government on how to allocate 2017 budget funding to tackle declining student performance.
OECD research on education shows how money is spent on schools is far more important than the total amount spent, and the review has been called to attempt to answer these unknowns.
While Australian students sit above the OECD average in mathematics, science and reading, a 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment showed the standards of 15-year-olds is dropping.
Following Mr Gonski’s inquiry, negotiations with state governments will take place in early 2018. States will be forbidden from reducing their current per-student funding levels, and will have to implement the review’s findings as a condition of receiving federal funding.
Meanwhile, NSW Education minister Rob Stokes is focusing on a record $390million backlog on maintenance costs, and future school overcrowding issues.
