Catholic Schools NSW has launched its Keep School Funding Fair campaign, which aims to provide voters with better information about school funding.
The Keep School Funding Fair education campaign is a response to attempts to undermine the non-government school sector.
Catholic Schools NSW said the campaign is informed by research showing that a lack of understanding of our complex school funding system leaves it vulnerable to ideological attack.
According to a poll of 2000 Australians, while almost half of Australians think they understand the school funding system, after having it explained, six in 10 agree they do not. The low level of understanding in the community about school funding leaves parents and voters vulnerable to misinformation campaigns.
The research, conducted by Freshwater Strategy, has informed a new education campaign by Catholic Schools NSW, which aims to explain the complex funding system in simple terms.
A short advertisement has launched on television and a campaign website provides further information on the way the school funding system works.
An explainer video on the education campaign’s website lays out how the funding system sends the maximum funds per child to government schools and applies means-testing to funding for non-government schools, meaning non-government schools get less funding per student.
Non-government schools with parents of higher income receive less funding, and those with parents of lower income receive more.
Catholic Schools NSW chief executive Dallas McInerney said it was vital Australians understand the means-tested school funding system that underpins that choice.
“According to the OECD, Australia’s school system is one of the most equitable by global standards,” Mr McInerney said.
“The truth is that non-government schools play a key role in making our school system equitable. The local Catholic schools we represent have the best outcomes for disadvantaged students, including a 9 per cent higher attendance rate for Indigenous students, which translates into higher NAPLAN scores for this cohort in years 5 and 9.
The Keep School Funding Fair explainer video and website can be viewed at keepfundingfair.org.au.
FULL STORY
Catholic Schools NSW launches Keep School Funding Fair campaign as voters reject Greens’ tax on Catholic schools (Catholic Schools NSW)
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Keep Funding Fair campaign (Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT)
