East Gippsland families to benefit from $12.2 billion schools funding deal

Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, today announced that schools in East Gippsland will benefit from an additional $12.2 billion dollars for school funding in Victoria over the next six years following successful negotiations between the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments.

“Students are going to be the big winners from a new funding agreement which will grow student funding from 2014, building on the record 2013-14 Victorian education budget,” Mr Bull said.

“This new schools funding agreement provides $12.2 billion of additional funding while protecting Victorian schools from a Canberra takeover.

“With this additional funding every student in East Gippsland will share the benefits of Victoria’s school reform agenda through real improvements in teaching and learning in every classroom,” Mr Bull said.

On Sunday Victorian Premier Denis Napthine and Education Minister Martin Dixon secured agreement with the Commonwealth Government to provide $12.2 billion of additional schools funding in Victoria between 2014-2019.

Under the agreement the Commonwealth will provide $6.8 billion combined with an additional $5.4 billion from the Victorian Government to benefit every school in the state.

To protect local control over local schools, the Commonwealth Government has agreed to make key amendments to the Australian Education Act after the federal election.

During the negotiations the Commonwealth also agreed to recognise Victoria’s right to distribute funding to schools according to its own need based funding model rather than a one size fits all model run from Canberra.

Because of these concessions Victoria’s nation-leading schools will be able to continue implementing critical reforms to lift the quality of teaching, improve curriculum and assessment, and increase personalised support for students in need.

Students with high needs including students with learning difficulties and students with a disability will benefit from improvements in targeted assistance for student learning.

“This historic agreement protects Victoria’s education system while increasing schools funding which will help drive our ambitious education reform agenda,” Mr Bull said.

“This $12.2 billion funding agreement is a huge win for East Gippsland students, families and schools”.