Better and more streamlined financial support for students with disabilities is set to be a key finding of the Gonski review into schools funding, well-placed insiders say.
Government schools care for 80per cent of students with disabilities, but the level of funding they receive differs wildly. The Australian Council of Educational Research has estimated disabled students in Tasmania received $41,817 in 2009-10, while a disabled student in South Australia received just $4808 in targeted funding.
Businessman and academic David Gonski handed his review and recommendations for the future of federal schools funding to the government before Christmas.
As the education sector braces for the government's response to the report, expected to be released this month, one thing is clear - most parties are unhappy with the model for disability funding.
The Coalition and the Independent Schools Council of Australia support a US-style voucher system, which would allow funding to be attached to students with a disability and follow them regardless of whether they go to a government or non-government school.
Executive director Bill Daniels told Fairfax that students deserved to be treated ''exactly the same, irrespective of sector'' in terms of funding.
But public school advocates point out that private schools' funding grants are tied to average government school costs, which include extra funding for disabled students. Save our Schools national convener Trevor Cobbold said the current model was ''riven by exceptions and special deals that make it inequitable and inconsistent''.
''SOS supports equal funding for students with disabilities [and other disadvantaged students] whether they attend government or private schools,'' Mr Cobbold said. ''However, this must be conditional on a complete overhaul of private school funding which eliminates double dipping by private schools.''
Australian Education Union federal president Angelo Gavrielatos said voucher systems were a ''discredited and ideological proposition''.
''What we need is certainty in the provision of special needs programs,'' he said.
This reporter is on Twitter: @_biancah
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