Time to act on school funding

The For Our Future campaign bus is currently travelling the east coast of Australia

The long-awaited report of the Review of Funding for Schooling is set to be released next week and parents and teachers are being urged to take urgent action in support of better public school funding

The Federal Government has confirmed the Gonski Review report and its response to it will be handed down next Monday in Canberra.

AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos said it was a once in a generation opportunity to change the way are schools are funded and better resource public schools

“The future funding of our schools is being decided right now in Canberra,” he said

“We must ensure that in framing their response to the Gonski Review every politician knows that there needs to be an urgent investment in public schools.

“If you haven’t done so already please send an urgent email to the Prime Minister and your local member reminding them that the best investment for our future is in public schools.”

“With one week to go we need every principal, teacher and parent to send this final message.”

The union and the peak parents organisation, The Australian Council of State School Organisations, have been building support for a greater investment in public schools through a national tour that kicked off last week in Queensland. The tour, on a specially designed campaign bus, will continue this week in NSW and the ACT.

The Education Minister Peter Garrett is due to meet the bus when it arrives in Canberra on Friday.

You can find out more about the national tour and where the bus is stopping on the forourfuture.org.au website.

Mr Gavrielatos said the response to the tour so far had been tremendous.

“We have visited a large number of schools and the message back from staff has been that really want to see a change in the funding arrangements.

“Our schools are doing a fantastic job educating children but for many teachers and principals it is frustrating that they don’t have the resources to do more

“We have seen through visits to schools who have received targeted funding through the National Partnerships that it has allowed schools to really invest where it is needed. What schools need, however, is not more program funding but a fundamental overhaul of the federal school funding system to ensure all schools are better resourced.”

If you would like to keep up to date with the latest news on the tour and the Public Schools For Our Future campaign join us on facebook at www.facebook.com/forourfuture