Why more parents choosing private education for their children
National education and parenting reporter Conor Duffy and Xanthe Kleinig produced this report
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ABC News
9 hours ago
- ABC News
Union says principals urged to cancel teachers and combine classes as majority of ACT's primary schools blow budget
Union representatives say contracted teachers have lost their jobs because of ballooning public school budgets, despite the ACT government promising staff would not be cut. Last week, the ACT government revealed that 77 of 92 public schools in the territory were either already over budget or would be by the end of the school year. At the time, Education Minister Yvette Berry said the budget problem would not result in staff losses. Rather, she said savings would be found within the Education Directorate. However, Australian Education Union (AEU) ACT branch president Angela Burroughs said principals had been urged to combine classes and cancel teacher contracts, in conversations with Education Directorate staff. "We have heard instances where the message that's been received is 'rein in your casual staffing budget.'" She said there was confusion among schools because of poor communication. "It's a problem that was avoidable and could be easily fixed by just putting out some clear written advice," she said. "Everything at the moment is verbal briefings, so it's hardly surprising that people are taking away different messages." In a statement, the Education Directorate denied principals had been given such advice, and said it would work to address "any confusion and misunderstanding". "We will be providing principals with more information and guidance on implementing budget measures during semester two," the statement said. The statement said principals had been invited to an information sharing and workshop session, "which will include opportunity for principals to provide input and feedback". The high number of ACT public schools over budget this year has been attributed to several factors. A spokesperson for the ACT Principals Association said educating young people had become more complex since COVID-19 and that illness among staff and rising costs also contributed. Ms Burroughs said many schools had been over budget in recent years, but that this year there were less government funds to assist schools with their shortfalls. "We understand there have been rolling deficits for at least the last three years, perhaps not as widespread as is currently being experienced, but those deficits have been accommodated through either reserves or advances from government," Ms Burroughs said. Ms Berry confirmed the government would start a review of the ACT public school system resourcing to ensure it was "equitable for every student in every school". "The review will provide independent advice on the allocation of resources within the ACT public school system, including the needs of individual schools and supports that can be provided centrally," she said in a statement. "The review will also consider improvements to budget management systems and processes."
News.com.au
14 hours ago
- News.com.au
Opposition to back Labor's student debt bill, Sussan Ley says
Sussan Ley has confirmed the opposition will back the Albanese government's signature student debt-slashing bill. It comes after Education Minister Jason Clare told Labor colleagues he was hopeful the HECS reforms would pass parliament on Tuesday. Fronting media, the Opposition Leader said she still had concerns over the Albanese government's broader response to the cost-of-living crisis, but that 'we will not oppose the government's proposal'. 'And I want to say this to students today – remember this moment,' Ms Ley told reporters. 'Because Anthony Albanese says life will be easier under him, costs will come down, everything will get cheaper. 'Remember this moment because, when I have spoken to young people across the country, they have talked about escalating costs, in rent, electricity, any groceries, in everything a student needs to spend money on. 'It has been really tough.' She said added that 'underpinning this student debt relief bill has been a massive cost of living crisis for Australia's students' and vowed to hold the government to account. 'But today, we agreed to not oppose the bill as it makes its way through the parliament,' Ms Ley said. 'We do care about students who are struggling with the cost of living and said we would be positive where we can be and critical where we need to be.' Labor's bill was central to its youth-focused re-election pitch. It would cut student debts by 20 per cent for some 3 million graduates, or wipe off about $5500 from the average debt. The changes would also raise the repayment threshold for student loans from $54,000 to $67,000.
News.com.au
19 hours ago
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‘We must investigate': Council forges ahead with street sale to elite Sydney school
The cash-strapped North Sydney Council is moving forward with a proposal to sell part of a public road to a prestigious school, despite outrage from residents. Sydney Church of England Grammar School – better known as Shore – has formally approached North Sydney Council to purchase a chunk of Edward St north of Lord St. On Monday night, council discussed a recommendation that it 'enter into discussions regarding the potential closure and sale' of the street section, including undertaking community consultations. The independent, all-boys school – which has annual tuition fees of up to $46,000 – would be required to provide a minimum $20,000 bond to cover the cost of council's 'investigations', with any amount not spent on inquiries refunded back to the school. Discussion began with a speech from the school's community engagement director Sarah Taylor, who read a statement on behalf of headmaster John Collier. Parents who were 'agitated' and 'opposed' to the proposal were 'actually arguing against their own interests,' the statement said. The school's intention was to move traffic during drop-offs and pick-ups within its property as part of an internal ring-road if it completed the purchase. Local residents would lose 'perhaps four parking spaces in Edward Street,' while the school would 'probably reduce demand for these spots by enhanced spaces within the school'. North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker then added an amendment to the motion, specifying that discussions would include a 'possible land swap for the provision of a pocket park on the corner of Mount and Edward Streets'. The motion was carried unanimously after several councillors voiced their support, though they added caveats. 'I want to make it clear that I do not want to see this council forced into a position where we are selling community assets simply because our financial position is unsustainable,' said Councillor Shannon Welch. Ms Baker stressed the dire state of council's finances as justification for the move. She said she felt the same way about the proposal as she did about two other motions passed earlier that night, which were also a reflection of council's financial position. One of those was a motion to consider ticketing North Shore families watching Near Year's Eve fireworks from public vantage points, while the other was a decision to reallocate funds for rebuilding the Blues Point seawall to instead replace the PA system at North Sydney Oval. 'All of these things are matters that we must investigate and explore if we are to be a careful council who are seeking financial sustainability and strength in exceptionally difficult and precarious financial circumstances,' Ms Baker said. ' … I think we must investigate, but I would rather that we were a council in a position where we weren't needing to investigate, but that is not the case.' The section of road that Shore has offered to buy currently separates the school's senior and preparatory campuses, and is a known traffic bottleneck during pick-up and drop-off times. Before Monday night's meeting, Shore's offer had already been met with backlash from residents, who said closing the street would 'exacerbate the existing traffic chaos'. 'It is an education district but it is a residential district too,' Danielle Walters, who has lived in the area for two decades, told The Daily Telegraph. 'How much are we doing to allow a school to dominate a whole area and what does it mean for us? 'If this is all going to be (a) school, should we just be selling our properties to Shore now?' Another resident said she was already 'frequently prevented from accessing my property by the queues of massive SUV's and the private traffic wardens employed by SHORE'.
