Independent schools say caution needed in SES review

The suggestion is that the National School Resourcing Board will be recommending the Government move to using parents’ personal income tax data to determine Australian Government funding for Independent and Catholic schools.

Despite that the Report on its Review of the SES is yet to be finalised, there has been significant media speculation regarding the Board’s likely recommendations.

The Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA) cautions that it is important to remember that any alternative methodology would require significant work to determine whether it would produce accurate and valid information at the individual school level.

The current funding methodology took three years to model, trial and validate prior to its introduction and the Independent sector would accept nothing less than the same rigorous process prior to any move away from the current arrangements.

The Council contends that Government funding for non-government schools is supported by both sides of politics with the aim of promoting choice for parents and diversity in schooling options for Australian families.

ISCA says it would oppose any changes to funding arrangements which threatened the level of choice available to Australian families either through sudden changes in the level of government funding for schools or through additional burdens on schools or parents in terms of administration or privacy intrusion.