Getting funding right for schools

MAY 3, 2017: THE Liberal National Coalition Government’s new plan for schools will mean growing and better targeted funding and evidence-based programs for local students.The Government announced it would grow funding for Queensland government schools by $1426 million or 91.5 per cent over the next ten years that would be real needs-based funding and would be tied to school reforms which are proven to boost student results.Non-government schools will see an increase in funding of $1304 million or 59.3 per cent over the next 10 years.We’re delivering the real ‘Gonski’ needs-based funding model that Labor didn’t.We’re growing the record funding to Queensland schools to a total of $23,137 million for government schools and $28,913 million for non-government schools over the next ten years and we’ll end Labor’s 27 special deals with states and territories, unions and non-government school leaders that distorted need and meant schools had to wait up to 150 years to get their fair share of support.Our plan will mean Burdekin schools will get their fair share of support and won’t suffer because of Labor’s special deals.While we know a strong level of funding for schools is vital, what’s more important is how that funding is used.David Gonski will lead a new inquiry into improving the results of Australian students focused on the most effective teaching and learning strategies to reverse declining results, and seek to raise the performance of schools and students.Our reforms will set our schools up for the future, and deliver fair, needs-based funding for all Australian students.Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said the Turnbull Government’s plan would transform Australian schools."Our plan will set students on the path to academic excellence and achieve real needs-based funding for students from all backgrounds, in every town and city, in every region and state, in every classroom,” Minister Birmingham said.“Our changes will ensure all schools and states transition to an equal Commonwealth share of the resource standard in a decade, unlike the 150 years of inequity that current arrangements would entail.“We’ll ensure schools are funded fairly. That means 24 schools in the nation’s highest socio-economic areas will receive a reduction in per-student funding over the next ten years and for the first time using the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data for Commonwealth funding decisions on students with a disability. This will ensure that need drives funding allocation, and end the different definitions of disability that exist between jurisdictions.”More details on the Liberal National Government’s Quality Schools reform package are available at: www.education.gov.au/qualityschools