By ALESHA CAPONE
SEVERAL public schools in Brimbank would lose funding if the Federal Government’s Gonski school funding reforms go ahead, according to the State Government.
However, the Federal Government has hit back with claims no school would be worse off if the Victorian Government agrees to the Gonski scheme, before the June 30 deadline.
Last week, the State Government released a list of almost 250 schools which they said would be worse off under Gonski.
The state Education Minister Martin Dixon said the data, based on the Federal Government’s own statistics and modelling, showed one in six Victorian public schools would be worse off under Gonski between 2014-’19.
In Brimbank, the State Government predicted Sunshine College would lose $1.6 million across the five years.
The Western English Language School in Braybrook, St Albans East Primary School, Sunshine North Primary School, Ardeer Primary School, Sunshine Special Developmental School and St Albans North Primary School would all face funding cuts of up to $765,000.
However, Sunshine College principal Tim Blunt said he remained optimistic about the Gonski reforms post-2014.
“The Federal Government’s figures are saying we’ll benefit from over $3.5 million across that time,” he said.
“We’ve got nothing in writing at the moment, but I’m assuming we will be better off under the Federal Government intervention.”
Mr Blunt said the school presently received funding from the Federal Government under the National Government Partnership, which was due finish in December.
He said the funding has allowed the school to hire additional teachers for its literacy and numeracy program, plus more Mathematics teachers and resources such as reading materials.
Mr Blunt said he hoped the Gonski funding would allow the school to continue these efforts beyond 2013.
However, he said if the State Government predictions were correct, the school would have to cut the programs.
“It’s very hard to plan programs for kids when one side of politics says one thing, and one says the other,” Mr Blunt said.
Federal Education Minister Peter Garrett did not respond to Star before deadline, but told ABC radio the State Government’s claims about schools being worse off under Gonski were untrue.
