AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENCE OF GOVERNMENT

SCHOOLS

 

PRESS RELEASE 655#

 

THE TIPPING POINT OF STATE AID:

 

When it costs taxpayers MORE to fund ‘Poor” Catholic schools!

 

The time has come to pull the plug on the State Aid mythologising. Public funding of Catholic education does not save the taxpayer any money. Rather in some areas, Catholic schools cost the taxpayer MORE than Public Education .

 

Ofuscation and misinterpretation of even public statistics by the Catholic Education Office is finally being exposed.

 

The Victorian Auditor-General revealed the treatment of diversion of public money for the disadvantaged to the advantaged by the Catholic Education Office of Victoria. (See Dogs Press Releases 647 and 649 at http://www.adogs.info/press/state-auditor-general-finally-blows-whistle-public-funding-private-schools  and Victorian Catholic Education Commission : A Self-Regulated System Favouring High SES Schools in Funding Allocations .

 

Yet Stephen Elder, CEO of Catholic Education Office in Victoria has claimed on the John Faine show in 2015 that “We ..Catholic Schools) only get 80% of the Public Funding that a Public School receives, and only 90% of that funding level when our fees are included … and this is shown on the “My School” website”. And “We save the taxpayers millions as our parents pay”.

 One public school supporter decided to check. He went to the MYSCHOOL website.

The following tables are the result of his researches. They give the lie to the claims of Stephen Elder and indicate that the time has come to do a fact check on the unnecessary expenditure on education expenditure – in the form of State Aid. Public schools can do a better job for much less. They don’t duplicate facilities and they don’t engage in a resource arms race.

 

Our researcher notes that on each document the final column indicates the % of Public Funding (Excluding Fees) received by the Catholic Primary School compared to Public Primary School(s) IN THE SAME COMMUNITY

Document # 1 Comparative funding for a local township – Castlemaine VIC. Clearly the local Catholic School (St Mary’s) receives more funding than the 4 Public Primary Schools in the town.

Document # 2 Expanded the analysis to include most of the Macedon (State) electorate. Again, focussed on Communities which had both a Local Catholic and Public Primary School. Again Catholic Primary Schools ALWAYS received more Public Funding per student regardless of School size or SES.

Document # 3 To avoid allegations of “Cherry Picking” expanded analysis to 21 Communities selected largely at random. Found 3 Catholic Primary Schools which received less Public funding than the nearest Public Primary.

Document # 4 A quick scan of other States. This indicates (tiny sample)

* the “80 / 90” Statement

• Probably applies in Queensland
• May apply in Tasmania and South Australia
• Probably doesn’t apply in West Australia
• Doesn’t apply in NSW
• (From Documents #1, #2 and #3) almost NEVER applies in Victoria

The research has focussed on Local Communities because that is where the impact on local Public Schools is felt as comparisons are made by Community members seeking the “best” School for their child.

Public Schools in Victoria, in particular, suffer because Catholic and Independent School funding is based on the NATIONAL spend on Public School SYSTEMS, and Victoria has (by far) the lowest expenditure of any State.

 

DOGS thank our researcher for this information.

 

 

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DOCUMENT #1     MY SCHOOL 2016 PUBLIC FUNDING (NOT FEES)  Source:  My School Website 2016

 

CASTLEMAINE

 

SCHOOL        ENROL          SES                 Per Student Funding               Per Student     Total Public Funding                      Cath/Public per student%

 

            ICSEA                        Federal $         State $             Total

 

St Marys          120.4               1013                11,082             2,916               13,998                         1,685,359

 

Steiner (P-8)    178.4               1078                  7,553             2.975               10,528                         1,878,195 ( + Fees $7,676)

 

Castlemaine     184                  1031                1,538              6,571                 8.109                         1,492,056                                    172%

 

Cast. North     217                  1104                1,434              6,212                7,646                         1,659.182                                    182%

 

Winters Flat    207                  1051                1,724              6,986                 8,710                         1,802,970                                    160%

 

Camp Creek    114                    981                2,389              9,432               11,821                         1,347,594                                    118%

 

The reported figures for Victorian government schools do not only reflect income direct to individual schools. The reporting includes a significant amount of services delivered in kind such as primary welfare officers, student support services, school nurses, computer and internet services, IT infrastructure and a range of other programs and services that benefit students, either directly or indirectly. These items are classified as ‘revenue’ as they represent a benefit to schools. (seems to average 20-25% of above). Source My School Website – explanation of funding for Public Schools.

 

Over 96 per cent of Catholic schools are systemic and operate under 'block funding' arrangements with governments. Catholic Education Commissions allocate government funding to systemic schools according to the principles, needs, objectives and priorities of systemic schools within each state/territory as determined through a collaborative process involving schools, principals and dioceses. (Sounds like genuine “Needs based” funding). Source  My School Website Funding for Catholic Schools

 

NOTES:  St Mary’s receives $193,303 more than Castlemaine PS (64 more students), $26,177more than North (97 more students) and $337,765 more than Campbells Creek, which has 6 fewer students and a lower SES.

 

 

 

 

DOCUMENT # 2   MY SCHOOL 2016 PUBLIC FUNDING (NOT FEES)  Source:  My School Website 2016

 

MACEDON RANGES  PRIMARY SCHOOLS BY TOWNSHIP

 

SCHOOL                    ENROL          SES                 Per Student Funding               Per Student     Total Public Funding                      Cath/Public per student%

 

                        ICSEA                        Federal $         State $             Total

 

 

Kyneton PS                 288                  1015                1,539              6,357                7,896                         2,274,048

Our Ladies Kyneton   285                  1045                7,057               2,116                9,173                         2,614,305                                116%

(Our Ladies 340,257 more PUBLIC funding)

 

Lancefield PS             172                  1015                1,592              6,287                 7,879                        1,355,188

St Mary’s Lancefield  142                  1055                8,991              2,598              11,589                         1,645,638                                147%

(Wow!  30 fewer students - $290,450 more Public Funding.  1.5 EFT staff less than Lancefield PS

 

New Gisborne PS       506                  1084                1,363              5,950                7,313                         3,700,378

Holy Cross                  334                  1082                  6,313             2,038                8,351                         2,788,234                                114%

(New Gisborne PS has 52% more students, gets 32% more Public Funding)

 

Gisborne PS                418                  1056                1,296              5,680                 6,976                        2,915,968

St Brigids                    191                  1081                8,791              2,227              11,018                         2,104,438                                157%

(Gisborne PS  has 118% more students, receives 38% more public funding – 227more students @ $3,575 each)

 

Woodend PS               388                  1090                1,390              6,104                7,494                         2,907,672

St Ambrose                 230                  1055                6,867              1,948                8,815                         2,027,450                                117%

(Woodend PS has 68% more students, receives 43% more public funding)

Macedon PS                230                  1100                1,701               6,688              8,389                          1,929,470                                105%

(Macedon PS same enrolment as St Ambrose, receives $97,980 less public funding)

 

Daylesford PS             292                  1033                1,620              7,091                 8.711                        2,543,612                                130%

Hepburn PS                   61                    966                2,037              8,344              10,381                            633,241                                   108%

St Michaels D”sford  96                   1059                8,981              2,304              11,285             1,083,360

Trentham                     94                   1058                1,787              7,870                 9,657                           907,758                                   113%

Tylden                         94                   1077                2,163              8,569              10,732                         1,008,808                                105%

Malmsbury PS 81                   1042                2,066              8,616              10,682                            865,242                                    106%

SECONDARY SCHOOLS – MORE DIFFICULT TO MAKE COMPARISONS THAN PRIMARY

 

Kyneton Sec               529                    972                2,191               9,511               11,702                         6,190,358

 

Sacred Heart               819                  1063                8,149               2,110               10,259                         8,402,121  (Fees $5,012 student)

 

Braemar                       748                  1127                7,017               1,300                 8,317                         6,221,116 (Fees $10,873 student)

 

Candlebark (P-7)         152                  1115                6,045               1,694                 7,739                         1,176,234 (Fees  $11,397 student)

Cf Lancefield PS  172 students  -  Public Funding $7,789 per student)

 

On the face of it , Sacred Heart (unlike ALL the Primary Schools above) does only receive 87% of the Public Funding that KSC does)

 

  BUT  EXPLANATION OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION (FROM MY SCHOOL WEBSITE)

 

Government Schools Victoria

 

The reported figures for Victorian government schools do not only reflect income direct to individual schools. The reporting includes a significant amount of services delivered in kind such as primary welfare officers, student support services, school nurses, computer and internet services, IT infrastructure and a range of other programs and services that benefit students, either directly or indirectly. These items are classified as ‘revenue’ as they represent a benefit to schools. (seems to average 20-25% of above). Source My School Website – explanation of funding for Public Schools.  SO  Financial data shown above for Public Schools (Primary and Secondary) actually significantly higher than what is actually available for Public Schools to run the school)

 

Catholic Systemic Schools

 

Over 96 per cent of Catholic schools are systemic and operate under 'block funding' arrangements with governments. Catholic Education Commissions allocate government funding to systemic schools according to the principles, needs, objectives and priorities of systemic schools within each state/territory as determined through a collaborative process involving schools, principals and dioceses. (Sounds like genuine “Needs based” funding). Source  My School Website Funding for Catholic Schools.  Is Catholic Education Office effectively running their own “private Gonski”

  DOCUMENT #3  MY SCHOOL PUBLIC VS CATHOLIC PRIMARY – PUBLIC FUNDING ONLY (NO FEES)

BY COMMUNITY

 

SCHOOL NAME   SES / ICSEA RANKING (1000 is “Average”)         ENROLMENT   PUBLIC FUNDING PER STUDENT Cath/Public%

 

                        PUBLIC PRIMARY                                                                                    CATHOLIC PRIMARY (CLOSEST)

CARLTON

Carlton Gardens PS    1118    266        8,360                         Sacred Heart Fitzroy               889      120     14,161 169%

Carlton PS                    932      92      12,342                         St Josephs Collingwood         879      136     14,457 117%

 

CLIFTON HILL

Clifton Hill PS                        1186    613      7,620                          St Johns                                   1085    160            10,931            143%

 

ROSANNA

Rosanna PS                 1071    314      7,587                          St Martin of Tours                  1120    509         7,252   95%

 

BRUNSWICK / MORELAND / COBURG

Brunswick North        1143    429      7,969                          St Josephs                               1130    314        8,255               103%

Brunswick Nth West  1119    278      7,377                          St Fidelis                                 1094    336        8,259               112%

Coburg PS                  1063    221      8,234                          St Pauls Coburg                      1101    257        9,417               114%

 

BOX HILL

Box Hill Nth PS         1104    296      8,138                           St Francis Xavier                    1127    331        8,071               99%

 

SURREY HILLS

Surrey Hills PS           1144    397      7,606                           Our Lady Perpet. Succour      1173    183        9,568               126%

 

HEALESVILLE

Healesville PS               978    357      8,173                          St Brigids                                1085    297        9,009               110%

 

 

 

 

DOCUMENT # 4 MY SCHOOL 2016 NATIONAL