More Gonski stupidity from Birmingham

From the AEU

The second Gonski Review runs the risk of being hamstrung by the decision of the Federal Government to prevent it from considering school funding.

The Review, which will again be chaired by business leader, David Gonski, has been established to look at strategies to improve educational outcomes. It will report in March next year.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham said the Review panel would not consider school funding levels because they had already been determined in the Turnbull Government’s controversial plan finalised last month.

Australian Education Union Federal President Correna Haythorpe said the Federal Government should reconsider the decision to stop the panel looking at funding.

“This panel cannot solve the problems facing our most vulnerable and disadvantaged students if it is explicitly prevented from considering school funding,” said Ms Haythorpe.

“The Turnbull Government repeatedly stated it would not set funding first and seek to negotiate outcomes later, yet this is exactly what it is doing.

“There is a direct link between the resources our schools receive and student outcomes – however this panel is only permitted to consider one side of this story.”

The Turnbull school funding plan involves tearing up agreements with five state and territory governments and cutting $3 billion in funding due to be delivered in the next two years.

Instead the Federal Government will provide a fixed proportion of funding to public and private schools.

By the end of 2023, public schools will be receiving 20% of their public funding entitlement (measured by a Schooling Resource Standard) and private schools 80%.

Ms Haythorpe said that plan would still see public schools in six states and territories still under-resourced in 2023.

“The Government have already arbitrarily decided to limit Federal funding to 20 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard for public schools – meaning that whatever

recommendations this panel makes, many of our schools will still be severely under resourced even after six years,” she said.

“Under the Government’s plan, not only will schools in the areas of highest disadvantage, such as Northern Territory and Tasmania, receive the lowest increases in funding but they fall well short of what would be provided to some of the richest schools in the nation.”