Millions ripped from schools in Page: unions

Public schools in Page have had over $20 million cut from their budgets due to the Morrison government’s school funding arrangements, according to a new campaign by the Australian Education Union and the NSW Teachers Federation.

The Fair Funding Now! Week of Action will see volunteers at school gates talking to parents and members the Page community about ‘the importance of fair public-school funding for their children’s futures’.

New South Wales Teachers Federation senior vice president Henry Rajendra said public schools in Page are ‘missing out on millions of dollars of urgently-needed funding due to the Morrison government’s cuts’.

‘Our Fair Funding Now! Week of Action will send a message to prime minister Scott Morrison that Page wants his government to fund schools based on need, not on politics,’ Mr Rajendra said.

‘Our volunteers are sending the message to Mr Morrison that he must restore the more than $20 million in funding he took from public schools in Page for 2018 and 2019.’

‘We want Fair Funding Now for our public schools in Page so that our children have smaller class sizes, more one-on-one support, and additional teachers and support staff,’ Mr Rajendra said.

The group says that under the Morrison government:

• Over $20 million has been cut from public school funding in Page in 2018 and 2019
• the federal government has arbitrarily capped public school funding at only 20 percent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) while private schools receive 80 percent
• only 13 per cent of public schools will receive enough funding to reach the minimum Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) by 2023

‘Our public school system welcomes each and every child that arrives at the front gate. Public schools are our universal education choice, a path to success for all,’ Mr Rajendra said.

‘It is critically important that the Morrison government gives public schools in Page a fair go with their funding.’