Quality Schools funding estimator for Wide Bay

05/05/2017

Quality Schools funding estimator for Wide Bay

A new funding estimator is available to help parents, teachers, principals and school communities see exactly how they stand to benefit from the Coalition Government’s new $18.6 billion needs-based Quality Schools plan.

Federal Member for Wide Bay, Llew O’Brien today said the new online estimator showed that funding for schools across the electorate would increase from $116.2 million in 2017 to $138.2 million in 2021.

“We are delivering the real ‘Gonski’ needs-based funding model that Labor never did.  The new estimator will give school communities the information they need to make long-term plans for the future of each child and each school,” Mr O’Brien said.

“The Coalition’s Quality Schools plan invests an extra $22 million of needs-based funding into Wide Bay schools over the next four years, delivering long-term funding certainty for schools and communities, ensuring everybody is treated fairly.

“The package will set students on the path to academic excellence and achieve real needs-based funding for students from all backgrounds and in every region. Our plan factors in the background, family life, levels of disability and socioeconomic status of each student and school to ensure funding is truly needs-based and fair,” Mr O’Brien said.

Details on how the needs based schools funding plan will benefit local schools is available on the website www.education.gov.au/qualityschools and clicking through to the Schools Funding Estimator.

The improvements will ensure all schools transition to an equal Commonwealth share of the resource standard in a decade.

“We know a strong level of funding for schools is vital, but it’s also important to ensure that funding is optimised.”

The Coalition Government has appointed David Gonski to lead a new inquiry into improving the results of Australian students. Mr Gonski’s inquiry will be focused not on how much funding there is, but how it is used through the most effective teaching and learning strategies to reverse declining results and 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.”

For further details of the Coalition Government’s Quality Schools reform package are available at: www.education.gov.au/qualityschools