Public Demands Greater Investment in Public Schools

A new poll reveals for the first time the high levels of support for a change in the way the Federal Government funds schools to  deliver more resources for public schools.

 The poll of over 2,500 Australians shows:

•  Almost 70 per cent of people believe the Federal Government is currently giving too much money to private schools and not enough to public schools. Only 22 per cent said the balance in funding between school sectors was about right.
• Two thirds of people said most or all new federal funding should go to public schools.
• Investing in public schools to lower class sizes and increase the individual attention for students was nominated as the number one priority for the Gillard Government in education. The second highest priority was investing more in teachers to ensure we can recruit and retain the best people for our schools.
• A total of 74 per cent of people agreed private school funding should be means-tested to take into account the resources they already have.
•  Three quarters of people said public schools were doing a great job but were under-resourced.

The poll was released today on the first day of the Australian Education Union’s 27^th Annual Federal Conference in Melbourne.

AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos said it was clear that Australians wanted a new funding system.

“Every child deserves a high quality education. Only by better resourcing public schools can we ensure that they get it.

“Public schools teach two thirds of students but receive only one third of the money the Federal Government spends on schools.  Federal funding for public schools has increased at a far lower rate than that of private schools – some which have had increases of over 360 per cent per student in a decade.

“The Gillard Government has a historic opportunity now to introduce a new funding system that will improve the opportunities for every child by ensuring they have access to a well-resourced public school in their local community.

“We need additional resources to lower class sizes and increase the individual attention that children receive in the classroom.”

 Show your support for greater public school funding by adding your name to our online petition.