2021-06-23
Today's budget allocates $1.5 billion of public funding to private schools in NSW, which will reinforce their overfunding beyond the National Schooling Resource Standard (SRS).
This year NSW private schools will be overfunded $100 million beyond the resourcing standard and from next year this will go to $300 million.
Meanwhile public schools in NSW continue to be underfunded with public schools in NSW being 10% below the SRS and little change projected for this over the forward estimate.
The SRS is not an aspirational target, it is the minimum funding that is deemed necessary for 80% of students to achieve minimum reading and numeracy standards.
The AEU report about the SRS is here.
Greens MP David Shoebridge said:
"With this budget public schools will continue to be underfunded at 91% of the National Resourcing Standard.
"This is a budget that entrenches inequality with NSW private schools on track to receive at least $100 million more than they are entitled to under the resource standard.
"The resourcing standard is the bare minimum public schools need, and yet many schools aren't even getting that.
"The $1.5 billion handed over to private schools includes funds to obscenely wealthy schools like Shore in Sydney who hold investment assets worth more than half a billion dollars.
"We cannot afford the ongoing siphoning of public funding to wealthy private schools at a time when public schools can't afford the essentials," Mr Shoebridge said.
Media contact: David Shoebridge 0408 113 952