Standing up for fair funding for Catholic schools One in five Australian students attends a Catholic school. On average, they receive 20 per cent less government funding than if they went to government schools. The families who choose to send their children to Catholic schools are quite similar to government school families. Catholic schools tend to charge low fees, so that more families can make that choice for their children. When parent fees are included, Catholic schools operate on around 90 per cent of the cost of government schools. Many parents make big sacrifices to send their children to a Catholic school. This includes parents whose children have special needs. Special needs students in Catholic schools receive less funding from government than if they were going to a government school. Despite the lack of funding, Catholic schools continue to show improvement for their students, including their most disadvantaged. Parents should be free to choose the type of education they want for their children. When parents choose a Catholic school for their children, governments can invest more on students in government schools. In choosing a Catholic education for their children, parents are also saving the taxpayer around $2.2 billion, which can be spent in other schools. Any decision to stop government funding for Catholic schools, or to reduce funding by not having school funding keep pace with government school funding, will mean that parent fees will have to go up. If Catholic school fees go up, parents may have to change their mind about where they send their children to school. Their only choice may be government schools, which will put increased pressure on the government system. Properly funding Catholic schools now, and in the future, will help take pressure off government schools. For more information about Catholic school funding visit: fundinginfo.catholic.edu.au
Getting funding right for special needs students Governments have never funded students with special needs in Catholic schools in the same way they fund students with the same needs in government schools. This is despite more and more families with Indigenous, poor or refugee backgrounds, or with children with disabilities, choosing to send their children to a Catholic school. As part of their social justice mission, Catholic school communities welcome these students, despite the relatively small amount of funding they receive to support them. Government funding for Catholic students with special needs often falls short of what students with special needs require. If these Catholic students were enrolled in government schools, they would receive more funding to support their needs. It s time governments fund students equally, based on their needs, and not the school they attend.
Getting a better funding deal for Catholic schools The makeup of Catholic school families is quite similar to those in government schools. Catholic schools are an important part of the community in some of Australia s most disadvantaged areas. Like government schools, Catholic schools also cater for families with middle and high incomes. Catholic school students, on average, receive 20 per cent less government funding than government school students. There is also a significant gap in funding for students with special needs. To make up the difference, parents at Catholic schools pay fees. Even then, Catholic schools still operate at around 90 per cent of the cost of education in government schools. As it stands, paying fees is not easy for many Catholic families now. If Catholic parents are forced to pay more in fees, it will put a lot of pressure on many families. They will have no option but to move their children from Catholic schools to government schools. Government schools will struggle to cope with more students.
Catholic students achieve more with less funding On average, it costs the government 20 per cent more to teach students in government schools, compared to Catholic schools. Even with the fees that parents pay in Catholic schools, it is still cheaper to teach students in a Catholic school. Even in the toughest communities, and with less money, Catholic schools are acknowledged for sowing the seeds of high expectations and discipline in students, while developing well-rounded learners who get better results. The Australian Government s NAPLAN results show that, on average, Catholic schools continue to show improvement in their most needy students. These students are more likely to study at university after they finish school. According to the My School website, the success of Catholic schools comes at a saving to the Australian taxpayer of around $2.2 billion each year. Catholic school funding must keep pace with rising government school costs. Catholic schools cannot afford to have their funding frozen, as any funding freeze would really be a cut. This is unfair to Catholic school parents because their schools are already saving the government money.
Nurturing the whole student At the moment, Catholic schools are funded at 20 per cent less than government schools. With parents paying fees, this gap shrinks to 10 per cent. With that 10 per cent, every effort is made to make sure that each student s learning needs are maximised, so they can reach their full potential and achieve their best. Catholic schools encourage the importance of community. Principals, teachers, staff and parents work together to develop the whole child: spiritually, emotionally, academically, physically, socially and culturally. Students in Catholic schools are encouraged to engage with their communities, serve others and embrace social justice for all. Catholic schools need government funding to build strong communities that contribute to a better society.