AS state and federal debate continues to muddy the water surrounding Gonski funding, one local principal has assured his school community perceived “cuts” will have no adverse impact on the school.
South Australian education minister Susan Close has claimed cuts to Gonski Funding could see local schools miss out on a combined $4.3m promised in an original signed agreement.
Ms Close was scathing of the Federal Government’s latest Gonski plan, which showed South Australian schools would receive only $70 million of a promised $335 million in 2018 and 2019.
“We have delivered on our end of the bargain, committing our own State funds to the full Gonski deal,” Ms Close told The Border Watch this week.
“We are in the fourth year of a six year deal – this is a school resourcing standard everyone agreed on.
“There was a signed funding agreement between the Federal Government and the States, which was ripped up in the 2014 Federal Budget.”
While Ms Close said the State Government would continue to lobby Federal Government to abandon the cuts, Mount Gambier High School principal Chris Edmonds said the school would move forward in spite of reduced commonwealth funding.
“There is a lot of back and forth going on between State and Federal Government but the understanding with Gonski is that it was a political promise made so many years ago,” Mr Edmonds told The Border Watch.
“Although it was wonderful and it is disappointing they have been unable to keep it up, it was into the billions and we have had a couple of elections before the deal was fulfilled.”
“I want to reassure our school families that Mount Gambier High School will continue to deliver a great education to students.”
Mr Edmonds said although many schools would receive less funding than promised under the original Gonski agreement, the “political promise” was never a guarantee.
“We can’t lose money we haven’t been given,” Mr Edmonds said.
“Of course we would love to have lots and lots of money flowing in but until it’s in our bank, it’s not ours to lose – we certainly will not be worse off.
“It would have been lovely to have that full amount come through but we weren’t banking on it at all – we will look at any increase in our budget as being a benefit.”
He said he understood Mount Gambier High School would still receive around $160,000 a year in Federal Government funding.
“Although there are significant areas that can benefit from an increase in funding, this amount can be put to good use,,” Mr Edmonds said.
“The State Government will continue to support as their budgets allow and we are pushing close to $3m in funding in the last 18 months alone as we received $2.5m in STEM funding and a quarter million for facility improvements.”
