Catholic school parents and principals are being urged to get behind a campaign to pressure Victoria’s major parties into a record $800 million election funding commitment to upgrade dilapidated school buildings. Source: The Age.
The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria has launched its Fair Catholic Funding push for a four-year package to build new schools and upgrade more than 100 others that are in some cases a century old, leaky and ill-equipped to provide a 21st-century learning space.
The commission wants resources to cater for an expected enrolment boom in Melbourne’s growth corridors where the population is rising and many parents from non-English-speaking backgrounds prefer a religious education.
The Catholic schools commission has written to all parents – an important voter cohort in suburban marginal electorates – and principals urging them to support the funding push.
“As a leader within your community, we are seeking your support in promoting these priorities within your school network,” the commission wrote to school principals.
The Victorian Government says it has spent $520 million on Catholic school upgrades since 2014. The commission says this figure compares with $1 billion in yearly funding for government schools.
Catholic schools commission executive director Jim Miles said he wanted major parties to commit to the four-year deal before the November election.
An Andrews Government spokeswoman said it worked closely with Catholic schools and would announce school funding plans.
The Opposition’s education spokesman, David Hodgett, said the Coalition was finalising its election policies.
FULL STORY
Catholics mobilise for record election package to fix leaky, ageing schools (By Paul Sakkal, The Age)
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Fair Catholic Funding (CECV)
