Federal Funding

School Funding and the Federal Election

Parents may be aware that the funding model for independent schools has been recently modified. Whilst the large proportion of government support for NSW Department Schools comes from the State Government, independent schools are largely funded by the Commonwealth, up to 80% of the School Resourcing Standard. Some don’t understand this, often claiming that schools like us are overfunded, getting involved in money arguments that are not accurate or factual. 

The new Commonwealth model, the Direct Measure of Income, is based on median income of a family’s capacity to contribute (CTC). Under this measure, the most adversely affected are regional boarding schools. Calrossy is affected by this change and stands to lose a proportion of our funding over the next 8 years.

Through the Association of Independent Schools (AISNSW) and Independent Schools Australia, Calrossy has been advocating on behalf of parents to ensure that schools such as Calrossy are able to remain affordable and within the reach of rural and regional families, knowing that we provide an important educational service. We are not asking for increased funding but to maintain the status quo. Recently I spoke with ex-Senator Fiona Nash who has been appointed as Australia’s first Regional Education Commissioner to ensure that regional and rural students get equal opportunities for the best education possible in all sectors and systems. Funding is just one of the concerns of many regional principals.

Whilst education is not considered a big election issue for either of the major parties, I encourage parents to use your networks and political links with political representatives to ensure that affordability of regional schools like Calrossy continues to be a reality, enabling choice and options across the education sector.

Calrossy is not advocating for increased funding but encourages the Government to support fair funding for all sectors and systems, providing certainty for parents and families in a sometimes volatile setting. 

Some recent news articles on funding can be sourced via https://crisa.org.au/latest-media-coverage

David Smith

Principal Calrossy Anglican School