A GONSKI event held in Raymond Terrace on Tuesday morning gave Port Stephens teachers a chance to voice concerns about what cuts to education funding will mean to their schools.
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The NSW Teachers Federation is predicting Paterson electorate schools lose out on $43 million in Gonski funding during the next four years after the Turnbull government committed $3 billion less than expected in the latest federal budget.
“Teachers and the community are very disappointed that the Turnbull government has not honoured the National Education Reform Agreement that NSW entered into in good faith with the previous government,” Stephen Kelly, relieving organiser for the NSW Teachers Federation, said.
“They have only committed to fund the first four years of the Gonski model. They revealed in this year’s budget that they would only put in an extra $1.2 billion over three years, whereas the NERA requires an additional $4.5 billion over two years, in 2018 and 2019.
“This is a shortfall of more than $3 billion dollars over a longer timeframe. It means a shortfall of $43 million to schools in the Paterson electorate.”
Teachers from Grahamstown and Irrawang primary schools, plus Hunter River and Irrawang high schools turned out to Raymond Terrace Public School on Tuesday morning where a Gonski truck was parked.
The Australian Education Union has funded a moving advertising campaign where trucks with billboards reading ‘Our kids can’t afford Turnbull’s Gonski cuts’ travel around the state.
Amy Wales, a federation representative from Raymond Terrace Public School, said staff had seen “great results” from the intervention programs it ran using Gonski funding.
“We’ve been using the Gonski funding for intervention programs and we’ve seen great results in the children’s literacy and numeracy tests results,” Ms Wales said. “We’re meeting and exceeding local and state standards because of these programs.”
Irrawang High School principal Paul Baxter said Gonksi funding for his school meant increased staffing and literacy and numeracy programs.
“Investing in our education pays bigger dividends than a corporate tax cut,” he said.
John Brown and Meryl Swanson, The Greens and Labor’s candidate for the federal seat of Paterson respectively, also turned out to the Tuesday morning event to show their support for teachers and the Gonski funding model.
