Stakes high as time left to negotiate public school funding deal ticks down
This week, shocking new NAPLAN results showed one third of Australia's school students are failing to meet basic literacy and numeracy benchmarks. And the next six weeks will shape the future for public schools in Australia, as high stakes negotiations continue over school funding. More than a decade after fair funding was promised, public schools are still more than $5 billion short of what was promised in the landmark Gonski education review.
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00:00Ambervale High School in Sydney's far south-west is one of the most disadvantaged in the country,
00:10but it's also a place of transformation.
00:13Every year we are completely changing the trajectory of a whole generation.
00:20Principal Louise Barno-Clement can relate to these kids.
00:24This school is one of the best schools in Sydney, wonderful principal, she's a nice
00:29one.
00:30The first in her family to go to university, she dropped out of law school to follow her
00:34heart.
00:35It's a calling, I think it's such important social work as well as obviously educational
00:41work.
00:45Some of the students have never been as far as the CBD.
00:48Louise tries to level life's playing field.
00:51So you may not have been to the opera house, you may not have seen a musical, you may not
00:57have gone to the theatre, there are so many things that other children and young people
01:03get because their families can't afford it.
01:08Students are hungry to be the first person in their family to go to uni.
01:12Year 11 student Amy Hale is preparing to support herself through her future studies.
01:18I couldn't have done my barista training without the school because I wouldn't be able to afford
01:22it.
01:23It's a really expensive course to do and the school covered the entire cost of it.
01:26Extra funding means heartbreaking choices.
01:29So the best way to explain it would be to say at the moment I can close equity gaps
01:35in pockets but the dream of being able to do it for everyone.
01:41Across Australia public schools are about $5 billion short of their Gonski minimum funding
01:46targets every year.
01:48That's a lot of buildings, support staff and extra resources for the more than 2 million
01:53students at public schools.
01:55At public schools states pay for 80% of costs and the Commonwealth 20%.
02:00The Commonwealth is offering to lift its share of funding public schools to 22.5% at a cost
02:05of about $16 billion.
02:08Western Australia and the Northern Territory have signed on but the other states say they
02:12won't do a deal unless the offer is doubled.
02:15Our kids are missing out by more than $1000 a year in public schools.
02:20I can't really sleep at night if that's what our kids are experiencing in our schools.
02:25New South Wales Minister Prue Carr is leading the states and teachers pushing for more money.
02:30We're pretty much all in unison saying that's clearly not enough.
02:35Our members have had enough.
02:37We are now going to campaign on this issue in the lead up to the next federal election.
02:41For now the Commonwealth insists it's made a fair and final offer.
02:45Back at Ambervale their warning of funding failure will sting for generations.
02:50What do we want as a nation?
02:52Do we want a nation in which all of our young people are entitled to the same quality of
02:56education?