School Resource Standard Funding for Government Schools

The School Resource Standard (SRS) refers to guidelines and practices for allocating public funding to schools. Recently SRS funding has gained increased media attention due to disparities in resource distribution, affecting educational equity and outcomes. Public focus intensifies as debates over how to ensure fair, effective education for all students continue. Often referred to as Gonski money (as a result of 2011 Review of Funding for Schooling led by David Gonski AC), government schools have not received 100% of the SRS due to a mix of political and budgetary challenges.  Implementation has varied from state to state, and funding arrangements have fallen short of the Gonski recommendations for state schools.

The APF’s positioning is that government schools must urgently receive the full amount of SRS funding in order to address educational inequities and improve outcomes for all.  Below is a statement recently published in The Educator which encapsulates the APF’s concerns:

Victorian schools warrant 100% of School Resource Standard (SRS) funding to uphold educational equity and excellence.  It is simply an injustice that Victorian government schools do not receive the full allocation of their SRS (funded at just over 90%), when in comparison, private schools are funded to over 100% of the SRS.   This means that private and catholic schools have a significant resource advantage over government schools yet, it is the public system that accounts for over 90% of disadvantaged students. 

With diverse student populations and unique educational challenges across the government system, full SRS funding is essential to provide necessary resources, including qualified and specialised teachers, and programs. Ensuring equitable funding empowers schools to address individual and complex learning needs, bridge achievement gaps, and foster a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students. 

The current bilateral funding agreement between Commonwealth and State Governments authorises under-funding of state schools.  If as claimed, Victoria is the Education State, then it is time to fully invest in our government schools, as such an investment is a commitment in the future workforce, innovation, and societal progress. It's a commitment to fairness and opportunity, ensuring every child in Victoria has access to the quality education they deserve.  Then we can genuinely claim to be the Education State!

(Article by Brett Henebery The Educator 21 March 2024)