Moree Secondary College, Carol Avenue principal Paula Barton thinks the Federal Government’s funding overhaul will benefit local schools.
LOCAL principal Paula Barton believes the Federal Government’s new funding system will give Moree schools a fairer deal.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the new $6.5 billion funding system on Tuesday.
It was developed in response to the Gonski Review, which recommended a funding overhaul.
Schools will transition to the new system over a six-year period from 2014 to 2020.
Prime Minister Gillard reported the system would focus on lifting teaching standards and catering to students.
She said under the new system she wanted Australia in the top five countries for reading, writing and maths by 2025.
Moree Secondary College, Carol Avenue campus principal Paula Barton said the funding arrangement would bring all schools into alignment.
“It will be a much fairer funding arrangement... and extra funding will be given to the schools who really need it,” she said.
Ms Barton said it was difficult to say whether the long-term timeframe was the best option, but it gave the government time to assess the system as it was introduced.
Prime Minister Gillard had confirmed the new system would include a national resources standard for all schools and loadings for disadvantaged schools.
University of Sydney Faculty of Education Honorary Associate Professor James McMorrow said this was something the Gonski Review recommended.
“I think it is a big winner for schools in the Moree area,” he said.
“The Gonski model is designed to include loadings for schools with a high proportion of disadvantaged students, and also loadings for rural areas.”
Ms Barton believed under the new system meeting the top five by 2025 target would be possible.
“The more support given to schools especially in terms of professional learning for staff the better.”
The new system will also give principals more power to set their school’s budgets and determine staffing.
“At the moment principals do have a fair amount of control over the budget and staff - within guidelines,” Ms Barton said.
“And these guidelines won’t be taken away, so there will still be accountability.”
The $6.5 billion increase will be partially funded by the Federal Government and the rest of the bill will be footed by the states.
Currently the Federal Government provides 30 per cent of school funding.
