CONFLICTING funding forecasts by state and federal governments are making planning difficult for many Brimbank schools.
Federal government figures show St Albans East Primary School’s total funding per student will increase by 19.4 per cent between 2013 and 2019, but the state government says the school will lose $520,937 from 2014 to 2019 under the Commonwealth’s Gonski reforms.
“It makes it very confusing for planning for the school next year,’’ principal Anne-Maree Kliman said.
Figures obtained by the Weekly also show discrepancies of up to $2 million for Sunshine North, St Albans North and Ardeer primary schools, Sunshine College, Furlong Park School for Deaf Children and Sunshine Special Development School.
Federal Education Minister Peter Garrett has insisted no school would lose money under the Commonwealth’s reforms. But Ms Kliman said principals needed certainty about their exact funding allocations for 2014 and beyond.
State Education Minister Martin Dixon said federal figures showed that compared to current arrangements, hundreds of schools would ‘‘lose out’’ under the proposed reforms.
Gorton MP Brendan O’Connor maintained every Brimbank school would benefit from the government’s ‘national plan for school improve- ment’ if the state government signed up by the June 30 deadline.
“This is a once-in-a-generation chance to make sure our students, classrooms and teachers are resourced properly for the future.”
Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals president Frank Sal said he believed all schools would receive more funding under the Gonski reforms.
— Ben Cameron with The Age
