Disadvantaged students in western NSW have been "abandoned" by the federal government budget in its failure to follow through with needs-based funding in what will be a "critical election issue", NSW Teachers Federation Dubbo organiser Duncan McDonald says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Treasurer Scott Morrison announced school funding would receive a $1.2 billion boost across three years, but that was "$3 billion short" of the full funding required in the Gonski agreement, Mr McDonald said.
In the wake of the budget's delivery, the NSW Teachers Federation is saying the issue is shaping up to be a major one in the coming election.
Under the six-year Gonski agreement additional funding for NSW public schools began at $118 million in 2014 and would grow each year until it reached $1.59 billion in 2019, a NSW Department of Education document shows.
The architecture of the "needs-based, fairer Gonski model" is what is most important for disadvantaged Western NSW students, the Dubbo organiser says.
"School principals are telling us that Gonski funding is working, but we need the full six years to make sure all our schools have the resources they need," Mr McDonald said.
"It is those western NSW students with the greatest needs - from low-income families, from remote and small schools, with poor literacy and numeracy proficiency levels, with Indigenous backgrounds, and with disabilities - who are damaged most by this budget and who will feel its impact.
"Particularly, by not adequately and sufficiently targeting funding to students with disability."
On Tuesday NSW Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian indicated the state government would continue to argue for full federal Gonski funding.
"As already outlined at COAG, we look forward to further discussions around ongoing Gonski funding," she said.
Mr McDonald said the NSW government was showing a "strong commitment to students in western NSW" and it was a stark contrast to the federal Liberals and Nationals.
"Parkes is a very safe Nationals federal seat but it's actually a seat in which students have possibly the greatest disadvantage, the greatest inequity," he said.
"And they stood to gain the most under the full six years of Gonski funding.
"Parents know this and for them schools funding is a critical election issue."