Give every child the best chance of success

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 126 No 3, 9 April 2021, page no.13

Teacher unionists from across Australia have gathered in Canberra to launch “Every School Every Child”, the next phase in the campaign to ensure that every school receives the resources it needs to give every child the best possible education, regardless of background or circumstances.

The campaign highlights the extraordinary advancements that could be made if every teacher, school leader and school had the resources necessary to support students. 
Just imagine not needing to use personal funds to properly resource your classrooms and classroom activities. Imagine having a properly resourced inclusion model that enables students to access in-class support, frees teachers and school leaders to develop individual learning and behaviour plans, and allows guidance officers, HoSES and other specialists to be used to support student learning needs. Imagine every school having more teachers and support staff, smaller class sizes and additional learning programmes. Imagine new high-quality classrooms and improved school facilities and equipment. 

Imagine the possibilities if every school was provided with the full funding needed for every child to succeed. Imagine a federal government that delivers for our profession.

“Every School Every Child” is asking all political parties to:

• fund state schools to a minimum of 100 per cent of the schooling resource standard (SRS), the minimum funding requirement to give every child the greatest opportunity to achieve their full potential
• remove the legislated 20 per cent cap on the Commonwealth share of the SRS for state schools
• remove the 4 per cent capital depreciation tax in school funding bilateral agreements
• establish a capital fund for state schools.

QTU members are not alone in wanting action.  A recent poll commissioned by the AEU shows that more than three-quarters of Australians (77 per cent) agree that the federal government has a responsibility to ensure that every school in Australia receives 100 per cent of the schooling resource standard (under the current funding agreement with the state government, state schools in Queensland will only receive 87 per cent of this standard). The poll also reveals that more than half of Australians believe that the federal government’s current share of funding/resourcing to state schools is too low. 

In the lead up to the federal election, the Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) will be joining forces with the other affiliates/branches of the AEU to campaign for a federal government that delivers for the profession. A federal government that places students and the profession at the centre of its education policies and decisions. One that doesn’t rely on point-in-time tests to determine the efficacy of schools and the profession. A government that properly resources schools.

Together we can work to elect a federal government that puts the needs of the profession, the needs of teachers, school leaders, schools and students, at the centre of education – a federal government that listens to the profession and properly resources “Every School Every Child”.

Cresta Richardson

President

 

https://www.everyschooleverychild.org.au/

 

Poll reveals huge support for change

The nationwide YouGov poll of more than 1,200 people found that:

• more than eight in ten people (83 per cent) believe that increasing state school funding should be a priority issue at the next federal election. 
• almost six in 10 voters who currently have children attending a state school (57 per cent) believed that increasing funding to state schools should be the top priority issue at the next federal election
• three-quarters (77 per cent) agreed that the federal government has a responsibility to ensure that every school in Australia is fully funded to 100 per cent of the schooling resource standard (SRS).
• more than half believed that the federal government’s current share
• of funding for state schools is too low.