As the principal of a low-fee independent school, Liz Hutton makes every dollar stretch to cover the costs of educating her rapidly expanding student body at the Brindabella Christian College.
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She therefore paid great attention when Prime Minister Julia Gillard yesterday stated ''Every independent school in Australia will see their funding increase under our plan.''
Ms Hutton said in her 10 years at the college, she had never known parents to be more anxious about the potential for fee rises as the government considers its response to the Gonski Review of School Funding.
But yesterday's prime ministerial commitment - delivered in Canberra at the Independent Schools National Forum - gave her some sense of relief.
''Of course we all welcome the statement, and parents will welcome the statement, but the issue is we are all nervous about the details. We can't yet see what the funding model will look like and until we do we can't plan for the future.''
ACT Education Minister Chris Bourke yesterday flatly rejected the notion any ACT independent school would lose out under the funding reforms, blaming opposition scaremongering for creating fear within the private school sector.
The federal opposition has seized on modelling coming out of the private school lobby in Victoria over the weekend which suggested 3000 Australian schools could see funding cuts with almost $23 million to come out of the ACT.
But Dr Bourke dismissed the modelling as ''wild conjecture'' and said: ''As ACT Education Minister, I am not going to agree to something that is going to disadvantage any ACT school.
''Everyone knows the current system doesn't work properly, it is not fair, it's not transparent and it doesn't provide to those most in need.''
He accused ACT Liberal education spokesman Steve Doszpot of promoting the ''unsubstantiated modelling'' as a ''smoke and mirrors … attempt to cover-up the ACT Liberals' lack of education policy''.
But Mr Doszpot countered that the modelling was based on figures coming from territory and state and Commonwealth education departments and it was credible enough for Ms Gillard to delay the government's response to the Gonski review until next month while she went ''back to the drawing board''.
Executive director of the Association of Independent Schools of the ACT Andrew Wrigley said yesterday had brought ''potentially good news'' for the non-government sector.
''But we await the detail, is it in real dollar terms? Does it support diversity? Is it funding for all kids?''
''This result is getting us closer to the certainty we have been looking for.''
Australian Education acting ACT branch secretary Glenn Fowler said it was unfortunate that the government had been sidetracked by the independent school lobby's scare campaign.
''We want Gonski implemented now, and if this has mean it is backtracked again then all school children are the losers.''
