MAJORITY OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS GET MORE PUBLIC FUNDING THAN COMPARABLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The extent of inequity in Australia’s school funding has been revealed in new research, showing that more than half of private schools in Australia now receive more combined Government funding (Commonwealth and State) per student than public schools of similar size, location and with similar student needs.

The Australian Education Union report is being released as Commonwealth, State and Territory leaders gather today for the National Cabinet.

Using school finance data, the AEU report ‘A Decade of Inequity’ reveals:

• In 2013, there were a total of 1,146 private schools (45.% of all private schools) receiving more combined Commonwealth and State Government funding per student than comparable public schools.

• By 2022, this had increased to 1,550 private schools (56.3% of all private schools) receiving more Government funding (Commonwealth and State) per student than comparable public schools.

• The funding gaps between students are as large as $7,282 per student.

• Private schools where students come from above average levels of socio-educational advantage showed the most growth in being funded above similar public schools - from 856 to 1,197 between 2013 and 2022, an increase of 39.8% over the decade.

• On average every private school in Australia will receive $462 per student above their full SRS in combined state and Commonwealth funding in 2024, while every public school will be underfunded by $2,509 per student.

The report uses a strict methodology based on the level of Socio-Educational Advantage, school location, and school size to determine comparable public and private schools.

It compares the combined Commonwealth and State/Territory Government recurrent funding as reported by ACARA for comparable public and private schools.

Five conditions must be met for schools to be considered comparable to ensure that only schools of the same type, with very similar student parental and household characteristics, of similar size and in the same jurisdiction are compared.

AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe said the shock findings underlined the urgent need for public schools to be fully funded by all governments.

“Australia’s public schools have higher levels of student needs when compared with private schools, with 82% of students from low socio economical advantage backgrounds, 83% of First Nations students, 67% of students with disability and 68% of students from a language background other than English. The 2011 Gonski review recognised the higher cost of catering for the learning needs of these students with the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) plus additional loadings for equity student cohorts.”

“Since 2011, governments have lost their way with school funding, with the gap in total government funding between individual private and public schools now as high as $7,282 per student.

“This unfair private school funding advantage translates into a school resourcing and staffing advantage and has fuelled a private school capital works boom, while at the same time denying public schools the recurrent funding needed to attract and retain teachers and to address the high level of student needs in the classroom.

“These findings reflect the impact of more than a decade of special deals delivered under the previous Coalition Government for the private school sector and a fundamental lack of transparency in the way that Australian schools are funded.

“With school funding for the next decade being negotiated between the Commonwealth and state and territory governments now, we have outlined three recommendations in our report. These being:

• Every school must be funded at 100% of SRS by replacing the 20% cap on Commonwealth SRS contributions to public schools with a 25% floor and ensuring that state and territory governments meet their 75% share of the SRS.

• The 4% additional allowance for capital depreciation, school transport and curriculum and registration bodies and other non school based costs must be removed from the calculation of the SRS contributions of all states and territories.

• Additional resources, teaching staff and support must be provided to support schools to make the required adjustments for students with disability in order for all students to be able to access the level of support appropriate to their needs.

“The challenges are too great and the cost of inaction too high for governments to continue to fail on funding.

“Funding inequity for Australia’s public schools is a direct result of a deliberate undermining of the Gonski review’s school funding reforms by the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments.

“It is now up to the Albanese Government to address these wrongs and deliver on full funding at 100% of the SRS for all students in Australia. Anything less will fail students and their teachers in public schools.”

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