A WYNDHAM principal is urging the state and federal governments to come clean about the formulas they are using to calculate future funding under the national plan for school improvement.
Warringa Park principal Colin Schot said conflicting estimates made it hard to work out the impact of the Gonski reforms on his school.
According to the federal government’s calculations, the Hoppers Crossing-based specialist school will receive an extra $3.4 million by 2019, increasing funding by 22 per cent per student.
But the state government predicts the school will lose $452,946.
Mr Schot said he didn’t know who to trust.
“I am in favour of anything that will increase funding for state education, but I am concerned about the figures.
“I don’t have the formula on how to work out the figures in relation to Gonski. I need to understand how calculations are made so I can do my own calculations based on enrolment numbers.”
Mr Schot also wanted the state government to reveal the formula for its alternative funding model.
“All I am after is the best for our school and the best for our kids.
“It is very difficult to be at the cutting edge of education if you don’t have the resources. We need to make sure we are catering and differentiating for all students.”
Tarneit Senior Secondary College principal Michael Fawcett hasn’t been told how much extra funding his school would receive under Gonski but is urging the state government to sign up to the reforms before Sunday’s deadline.
Like other new schools, the college has been left off lists released by both governments.
Mr Fawcett said he supported Gonski because it was a way of distributing funding equally to all schools.
“The state government isn’t supporting the state’s schools at the moment. They’re choosing not to invest in schools like ours.”
State Education Minister Martin Dixon said 249 Victorian schools would lose funding under Gonski.
He said current funding arrangements meant that money was distributed to schools according to need – including students with disability, students from low socio-economic backgrounds and students learning English as a second language.
Prime Minister and Lalor MP Julia Gillard said no school in her electorate would lose funding.
But she said Victorian schools would miss out on about $4.2 billion in federal funding over the next six years if the state did not sign up by Sunday.
