GS Kidd Memorial School P&C president Rebecca Dridan says clarity is needed surrounding last week’s announcements about Gonski funding in 2017.
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GS Kidd, Gunnedah High School, Gunnedah Public School, Gunnedah South Public School, Carroll Public School, Curlewis Public School, and Mullaley Public School will share in $219 million additional needs-based funding from the NSW Government under the Resource Allocation Model (RAM).
Ms Dridan said the announcements were “ambiguous” and the needs of Schools for Specific Purposes (SSP) like GS Kidd were not well understood.
“First and foremost, the Gonski report from 2011 highlighted the fact that there is insufficient information available regarding resourcing for schools like GS Kidd and recommended additional work to better understand the unique needs of these schools,” she said.
“I have not seen any evidence of this additional work being underway or completed.”
Ms Dridan said the current RAM funding allocations, informed by Gonski, had a limit on the number of children per class, dictated by the Department of Education’s “factor of need” which meant that even though SSP might have the same number of classes as a mainstream school, they would have at least 50 per cent less students by comparison.
“The NSW Department of Education webpages on funding allocations states that “students with high support needs in SSPs and support classes continue to have their own resourcing arrangements”,” she said.
“As to what these resourcing arrangements are, I have no idea.
“I would prefer to see some investigation into the unique resourcing needs of SSP’s. Without fully understanding these needs, suitable funding allocations for educating and supporting children in SSP’s will never be made.”
Mullaley Public School relieving principal Christine Patison said the announcement of $62,851 for the small school was “excellent news” because it would enable the continuation of a three-class structure.
A third teacher has been funded for the past two years with help from Gonski and the P&C.
“It’s made a lot of difference,” Ms Patison said.
“We’re able to differentiate the curriculum more effectively to meet the needs of children who need support but also meet the needs of children who need to be extended. We have been doing this very successfully over the past two years.”