17 May 2017
Dear Parents
Two weeks ago the Federal Government announced changes to the school funding model which will affect schools in all sectors. The current model was only guaranteed until the end of 2017 and was widely acknowledged to be flawed, so while the timing of the announcement was somewhat unexpected the arrival of a new model is not. It might be helpful to set out a few facts by way of background in this complex area. Government funding for independent schools was introduced in the 1970s on two main grounds: firstly, it acknowledged the role of parental choice in determining a child's education; secondly, it recognised that all children are entitled to an education and the cost burden on the state system is substantially reduced by independent schools. Accordingly, it was not unreasonable for the parents in the independent sector to some government contribution towards their children's schooling. Those fundamental reasons have not changed. ln 2015 it was estimated that if all independent school students moved into the state education sector, it would cost the government an additional S4.4 billion per year. (This does not include
the Catholic sector.) At schools like Queenwood, government funding represents a small proportion of revenue: in 2016 5% of our revenue came from the NSW Government and 9% from the Commonwealth. There is no government funding for capital expenditure so all our buildings and facilities must be paid for by generations of parents and benefactors and through careful planning by successive School Councils. The political environment around school funding is fraught. A few years ago, the government of the day adjusted the funding formula to reduce the entitlement of Queenwood and many other schools. lt was decided to close this gap between old and new entitlements over a period of time by slowing down funding increases compared to other schools. Schools making this transition on the program devised by the government have since been described as 'over-funded' but this reflected the fact that the government revised its formula downwards and that the transition was not yet complete. The announcement on 2 May 2017 by the Prime Minister represents a decision to accelerate the transition that was already underway. Several days after the announcement the School was contacted by the Commonwealth Department of Education and Training which has now confirmed that Queenwood's federal funding will be reduced by 0.1% over the next ten years. Through prudent management and conservative planning the School is in a strong financial position and while this freeze in federal funding may require us to make some adjustments over time, we are a well-resourced school that will continue to offer a first-class education in a warm and inclusive environment.
All children in Australia are entitled to a high quality education and since its foundation Queenwood has sought to live out its values of Truth, Courage and Service. We are yet to see what the next review led by David GonskiAC will bring but we recognise that not all children receive an education of the quality that we are able to offer, and we strongly support the aim of an equitable funding model which will contribute to a fair system and a better educated nation. We look forward to learning more of the proposals as they become available and in the meantime more information can be found at https://www.education.gov.aulqualitv-schools. Yours sincerely
Ms Elizabeth Stone PRINCIPAL
Locked Bag
l,
PER ASPERA AD ASTRA Mosman NSW 2088 Australia
+61 2 8968
7777
www.queenwood.nsw.edu.au
q@queenwood.nsw.edu.au ABN 83000532696