Catholic Education Commission of Victoria chairman, Bishop Tim Costelloe, has welcomed the injection by the State Labor Government of $38.9 million in capital grants to rebuild and upgrade needy Catholic schools.
The grant will vastly improve learning opportunities for Victoria's 186,000 Catholic school students, a CEO media statement says.
Bishop Costelloe said the State Government's decision to provide $24.3 million in 2008 and a further $14.6 million by October 2009 will not only improve physical facilities at the schools, but it would free up other funds within Catholic school budgets to meet additional operational costs.
The Director of Catholic Education in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Mr Stephen Elder, said the Victorian Labor Government had recognised the importance that Catholic schools play in Victoria's education system and understood that some schools require additional assistance to improve outdated facilities and improve student outcomes.
"The additional capital funds will be most timely for Catholic schools as they will ease the pressure on school budgets and free up local school resources that would otherwise be spent on maintenance and capital programs to help target better student learning programs.
"We are most grateful to the State Government for this urgent assistance with the escalating cost of education and the economic pressure on families who choose Catholic education for their children," said Mr Elder.
"The Catholic education sector has a good working relationship with the Brumby Government and this has been acknowledged by the constructive discussions being currently undertaken around the next funding agreement due to start in 2010," Mr Elder added.
The Age adds that Premier John Brumby has promised the funds will ease the burden on Catholic school budgets and free up for wages and programs money that would have otherwise been spent on maintenance and capital works.
The move comes after months of unrest in the Church and families, who lashed out at the Government for failing to provide new resources to Catholic schools in the May budget.
Principals had warned that without extra money from the state, they would be forced to increase fees or cut programs in a bid to pay for a recent teacher wage deal that has made Catholic school staff among the best paid in the country.
Parents also started lobbying hard, with almost 50,000 signing a petition accusing the Government of discriminating against families who choose a Catholic education for their children.
But Opposition education spokesman Martin Dixon said the money was only a fraction of the $400 million funding package promised by the Coalition earlier this year, which provided for capital costs as well as recurrent funding for students, particularly those in disadvantaged schools.
SOURCE
State Government provides additional capital funding for Catholic schools (CEO Melbourne, Media Release, 6/10/08)
Catholic schools to get $39m boost
LINKS
Catholic Education Office Melbourne