No Wimmera school will be worse off under the federal government’s ‘Quality Schools’ education funding package, but the funding will not match policies or special deals put out be the previous government.

The federal government introduced the package, nicknamed ‘Gonski 2.0’ after the previous Labor government’s education reforms, as part of the 2017-18 Commonwealth budget.

The figures do not include money contributed to schools by the Victorian state government.

The Department of education has estimated how much money it will distribute to schools in 2017, 2018 and 2027 using measures of social disadvantage.

The full funding estimate can be found online at the Department of Education website.

Private, independent and Catholic schools are significantly more dependent on federal money that public schools.

Under the new model, all Wimmera schools are projected to receive more money but not as much as under the previous Labor government’s long-term Gonski plan.

In Horsham, St Brigid’s College principal Peter Gutteridge used the school’s newsletter to call for action against the funding model.

“At St Brigid’s College, we rely upon government funding, both state and federal, for around 83 per cent  of our revenue. The remaining 17 per cent is provided mostly through the payment of school fees,” Mr Gutteridge stated. 

Mr Gutteridge stated that school fees would eventually have to rise under the model.

“We work with great diligence to ensure our school fees are as affordable to as many as possible. One of the big impacts of the funding package is that Catholic school fees will have to increase,” he stated.

“This won’t happen tomorrow, but over the next 10 years, cuts to school funding will mean fees will gradually increase.”

Mr Gutteridge stated that parents in almost 500 Catholic schools had been asked to join a campaign for more funding.

“This is where the voice of those in the St Brigid’s College and other Catholic school communities becomes vital,” he stated. 

“In coming weeks, please keep an eye out for information about how you can add your voice to help prevent unreasonable fee increases. We need to step up.”

In Nhill, St Patrick’s School principal Kathryn Bendall published a similar statement in her newsletter column.

At Stawell’s St Patrick’s Primary School, director of Catholic education Audrey Brown wrote in the newsletter that the community should remember why they were campaigning.

“It is because in Catholic education we welcome and offer support to all families who desire an education in which we ‘strive for the greater gifts’. That is not something that we want to lose.” she stated. 

Member for Mallee Andrew Broad said the funding model was fair and based on needs.

“We are writing to every one of our schools across the region to highlight the estimated increase they are to receive,” he said.