No great surprises

SALLY EDSALL outlines how the Federal Government has split up the education funding pie.

Most of the Federal Government's intentions with respect to education funding were announced well before the Budget, which was delivered on May 11. So the fact the Howard Government has once again extended its massive largesse to private schools, at the expense of public, came as no surprise.

Overall, public schools will receive 31 per cent of federal schools funding and private schools 69 per cent.

Funding is set for the four year period 2005-08. It will require the Parliament to vote on funding in a Bill formerly known as the States Grants Act but, apparently in an act of Orwellian-like language manipulation, to be renamed "Learning Together".

Total expenditure will rise $8 billion to $31.3 billion over the four years. This is a $400 million increase over normal cost-based indexation. Most of that increase goes to Catholic schools ($362 million).

There is a $21 million real (after indexation) increase for the Literacy, Numeracy and Special Learning Needs Program. This comprises $12 million to Catholic schools, $5 million to independent private schools and $4 million to public schools.

For the first time ever, spending on independent (that is, not Catholic systemic) schools is higher than on public schools ($7.6 billion compared to $7.2 billion). Independent schools, with 11 per cent of enrolments, will get 28 per cent of recurrent funding (that which is guaranteed each year on a per student basis).

Catholic schools, with 21 per cent of enrolments, will get 46 per cent of funding, and public schools, with 68 per cent of enrolments, will get 26 per cent of recurrent funding.

These amounts represent a change over the previous four years (2001-2004) as follows:

• Public: 28.5% to 26.0% from 2001-04 to 2005-08

• Catholic: 45.5% to 46.0% from 2001-04 to 2005-08

• Independent:26.0% to 28.0% from 2001-04 to 2005-08

There are changes to the way in which some Catholic schools will be funded, bringing about 40 per cent of them in line with the "SES (socio economic status) model" used to fund some independent schools. Catholic schools which would have lost money under this system will be treated in the same way as independent schools in the same situation were previously -- they will be classified as "funding maintained" to ensure they do not receive any less.

The only major new announcement on Budget night was a new program called Values For Life which is related to Prime Minister John Howard's claim of a "lack of values" being taught in schools. It is $34.7 million of funding over four years, including $4.9 million to continue with the Civics and Citizenship program. About $18 million of the money is taken from New Apprenticeships.

This Values for Life program is intended for:

• conducting values forums in every school, involving parents and the whole school community

• "champion" schools to showcase their best practices in line with a national framework on values education

• drug education forums in every school, drawing on drug experiences of students themselves. This is in addition to continuation of the National School Drug Education Strategy

• curriculum and assessment resources for schools to teach values.

Funding to schools is to be tied to a number of items such as public reporting of school performance, reporting to parents and acceptance by states of a common school starting age by 2010.

In the week after the Budget, Federal Education Minister Dr Brendan Nelson suggested that public schools should display exam results, retention rates and teacher absentee rates on billboards outside the schools.

Sally Edsall is a Research Officer.

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Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005