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ACT News

Cashed-up St Bede's set for funding boost

Breanna Tucker
February 22, 2012

Canberra's richest school looks likely to receive even more government funding under new models proposed by the Gonski review.

Figures from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations show that St Bede's Primary School has the highest socio-economic rating of all non-government schools in the territory at 128.

It would also receive the lowest amount of government funding under the old system, receiving just 16 per cent of the average cost of educating a public school student.

But Mr Gonski's suggestions that all schools receive a minimum payment of 20 per cent of the new Student Resources Standard would boost the Red Hill school's payment by 4 per cent.

The school is the only institution in Canberra that would receive a definite funding boost under the new model.

But Catholic education director Moira Najdecki warned not all of that increase would flow on to the school as Catholic systemic school funding was distributed centrally by the Catholic Education Office.

''We receive a block funding payment … which we then distribute to all our schools according to need, so in the end, schools aren't funded according to their SES score,'' she said.

The Gonski model proposes that non-government schools with a socio-economic score above 130 receive a minimum payment of 20 per cent of the new School Resources Standard. Remaining non-government schools would receive more funding as their socio-economic score dropped.

Canberra's independent and Catholic schools have SES scores ranging from 111 to 128, indicating all will receive a payment greater than 20 per cent.

Canberra Grammar and Canberra Girls Grammar both have a score of 125, Covenant College shares the lowest score of 111 with St Mary MacKillop College while Radford College scores 123, Marist College 119 and St Edmund's College 115.

Canberra Grammar School principal Justin Garrick said it was too early to tell how the new model might affect fees but that a lot depended on whether the federal government would agree to a $5 billion investment in the sector.

''If it was a big, initial hit I would imagine it would have an obvious impact on [lowering] fees,'' he said.

''If it is phased in over time, however, I would imagine what it might do is slow down the natural annual fee increases associated with CPI.''

But St Edmund's College principal, Peter Fullager, was not so confident.

''Until the framework is tested and gets more analysis, I don't think anyone can be assured whose best interests the model will serve,'' he said.

St Mary Mackillop College principal Michael Lee said he was committed to reducing fees for his families if more money was provided.