QUEENSLAND Catholic education authorities are lobbying for a better deal from politicians in the lead up to the state election on February 7.
They have put their case to the major political parties for increases in recurrent funding and additional capital monies for Catholic schools, especially new schools in growth areas.
Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) executive director Joe McCorley said Catholic school authorities had placed eight requests before the National, Liberal, Labor and Greens parties, seeking their responses.
Mr McCorley said the responses would be distributed in Catholic schools and communities throughout Queensland before the election.
The eight requests related to funding, costs of implementing the preparatory year of schooling, the implication of senior schooling reforms, and fair treatment for Catholic schools under the state’s Cooler Schools program and transport assistance.
Mr McCorley said the requests were fair and reasonable, and would assist in addressing the funding imbalance in favour of the public system over Catholic schools.
‘The Queensland Government provides Catholic schools with 21 cents for every dollar they contribute to state schools and even when it is considered our schools receive a further 56 cents from the Commonwealth Government, there is still a significant funding shortfall our schools have to absorb,’ he said.
‘Fees and levies go some of the way to addressing this shortfall but in providing access to all students who seek the values of a Catholic school, however, Catholic schools operate under an inferior government funding arrangement per student.’
Mr McCorley said a $2 million per annum increase in capital funding to Catholic schools was also a key request of the Catholic education sector.
