Surprise surprise, the new Labor government has realised that the public schools might not be funded as well as some of the private schools. Why private (read, religious) schools should get any money off the government, let alone the enormous amounts they currently do, is a question unto itself. However, it looks like the federal government is at least looking at improving the public school funding model. From the SMH on-line:
The Federal Government says the model of funding for private schools on a socio-economic basis could soon be extended to public schools.
If the government believes this will provide more money to some public schools, isn’t that an admission that the private schools are being over-funded? So why don’t they just cut money to the private schools and give it to the public schools?
update
Opposition Leader, Brendan Nelson, has had his right of reply. He’s worried that the new funding model may take funds from one public school to boost funds in another public school. Don’t worry Nelson, if the government is smart and brave enough, they’ll take it off those over-funded private schools.
15 March 2008 at 8:37 pm
Yes lets hope its not robbing one state school to pay for another. Mind you, I think that the religious school sector is welfare dependent, if the government were to pull the rug out in one hit it would effect us as a nation detrimentally. A long term plan to remove funding and pump it into the stet sector would be best.
16 March 2008 at 11:24 pm
So why don’t they just cut money to the private schools and give it to the public schools?
As a teacher, there’s something that just doesn’t sit right with me about completely de-funding private schools. I don’t think private schools should be taxpayer-funded at the expense of public schools, but I also think that every dollar that benefits the education of students is a dollar well spent, wherever they are educated. My provisos are:
i. The same educational standards and quality controls that govern public schools should also govern private schools. (No taxpayer funding of intelligent design in science classrooms.)
ii. The same policies regarding employment discrimination should apply at both public and private schools. (I don’t believe private schools should be allowed to discriminate on the basis of creed, whether or not the person a teacher lives with is his or her married spouse, or sexual orientation.)