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What Gonski means here

Stephen Miles, Hills GazetteHills Avon Valley Gazette

The Gonski Review ” headed by business leader David Gonski ” is the most comprehensive investigation into how schools are funded in the past 40 years.

In short, it has recommended that education funding for all states be taken over by the Federal Government and that more money be spent on our children.

It recommends extra funding to pay for more individual contact between teachers and students, including extra specialist teachers, better support for children with disabilities and additional training and support for teachers.

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So far only NSW, SA and the ACT have signed on to the Gonski funding package, which would see the Commonwealth pump $9.8 billion into the nation’s schools over six years.

Despite recently upgrading its offer for WA from $300 million to $920 million, WA Premier Colin Barnett has made it clear he does not want the Federal Government to have control of the purse strings of WA’s State schools.

Opposition leader Mark McGowan said Mr Barnett’s decision to dismiss the offer out of hand was ‘extraordinary’.

All WA schools would receive a significant funding boost under the Gonski proposal.

But some would receive much more than others.

Based on, among other things, the number of students enrolled and projected growth rates, WA schools would receive funding increases of between 19 per cent and 50 per cent.

In the Avon Valley, Northam Primary would top the list of funding increases.

Under Gonski, its funding would climb from $4.6 million in 2014 to $6 million in 2019 ” a gain of 28.1 per cent per student.

Other schools in the region ” including Northam Senior High, Toodyay District High, York District High and West Northam Primary ” would see funding increases of 19 per cent.

The Federal Government has given the states a deadline of June 30 to sign up to its Gonski reforms.

According to former schools minister Peter Garrett, states that did not sign up would miss out on the additional funds.

‘Now that the offer is on the table it is beholden to state premiers to recognise the significant interest in making sure that this investment in education is realised in their states,’ he said