New reports from the NSW Government show that confidence in the state’s public education system sits at just 51%, with a target to lift this to 53% by 2027.
However, the state’s peak teachers’ union says these targets, which include lifting attendance and Year 12 completion rates, would be “impossible” to achieve without proper resourcing.
“No public school in NSW is funded to 100 per cent of the SRS, the minimum level governments agreed was required more than a decade ago. Yet every private school in the state is funded at or above this standard,” NSW Teachers Federation President, Henry Rajendra said in a statement.
“Right now, principals and teachers across NSW public schools are doing an amazing job but they are being asked to do too much with too little. Student needs are growing fast but the funding hasn’t kept up.”
Rajendra said full funding of public schools will lift student engagement and student achievement.
“Closing the resources gap is also an essential part of closing the achievement gaps between students from different backgrounds.”
With the federal election looming, the Federation is calling for the Albanese Government and Minns Government to finalise an agreement before Australia heads to the polls to ensure public schools are funded at 100% of the School Resource Standard (SRS).
Rajendra said whilst the Federation understands both the Commonwealth and NSW governments are locked in negotiations for a new funding deal, it must be signed by the Prime Minister and Premier before the federal election is called, and lift all NSW public schools to 100% of the minimum level funding required to meet the needs of all children without delay.
“Additional funding will allow schools to cut class size sizes, give children more intensive one-on-one attention and provide more specialist support such as school counsellors,” Rajendra said.
“It will also help cut the unsustainable workloads of teachers and give them more time to prepare high quality lessons for students.”
In November, the government’s Better and Fairer Schools Agreement (BFSA) was passed in federal parliament, allowing the Commonwealth to deliver more funding to public schools and tie that funding to practical reforms to help students catch up, keep up and finish school.
In January, Victoria and South Australia signed up to the Federal Government’s school funding deal, but NSW and Queensland are holding out for a deal that raises the funding ‘floor’ to 25% instead of the 20% the government has legislated.
“Fully funding public schools is the only way to ensure every child gets the support they need to succeed, and we can recruit and retain enough teachers,” Rajendra said.
Public school advocates Save Our Schools say the longer the stand off between the NSW, Queensland and Federal Governments continue, public schools stand to be the biggest losers.
“If it is not resolved public schools in the two states could lose nearly $40 billion in funding over the next ten years,” SOS National Convenor, Trevor Cobbold, said in a statement.
“Continuing under-funding of public schools will be catastrophic, particularly for disadvantaged students and schools in the two states.”
Cobbold said if the stand-off is not resolved, NSW public schools will be under-funded to the tune of $18bn over the next ten years, with Queensland’s public schools missing out on a staggering $21bn.
“This would be disastrous for the learning outcomes of disadvantaged students and for the many under-resourced disadvantaged schools in the two states.”