10 May 2017

Dear Parents and Carers

As you are aware, Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) has made very public and proactive
responses to the Federal Governments proposed new education funding model.

I want to take this opportunity to reassure all of you that Catholic schools, have always, and
will continue to do, everything possible to maintain the lowest possible fees to ensure that all
families, regardless of economic circumstances, have access to a quality, comprehensive
Catholic education.

Our concern is that the new model announced by the Federal Government, whilst providing
acceptable funding for Catholic schools for 2018, does not adequately address our concerns
about long-term funding for our sector.

School fees

With respect to the potential increase in school fees, I want to stress they are only at risk of
rising if the flaws in the funding model are not addressed before the legislation is passed by
Parliament.

In 2018, there will not be an increase in school fees apart from the normal annual increases
that reflect the costs of running a school. While the government is yet to reveal the full details,
SCS has serious concerns that school fees may have to increase in the longer term to
maintain current funding levels per student. We are advocating that the government locks in
an adequate annual increase in funding each year to provide funding certainty over the longer
term.

We will do everything in our power to minimise the potential increase in school fees in the long-
term.

System funding

As a system of schools, Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) is able to function more effectively by
working collaboratively. Resources are not allocated on a school-by-school basis. They are
spread across all 152 Catholic schools within our system to ensure there is equity and
opportunity for all children, regardless of where they live.

This has allowed us to:

lift educational outcomes for all students

to share resources to deliver specialist intervention programs across all our schools
to meet student needs
 to keep small schools open; and
to fund major capital works programs.

The proposed move to a school-by-school funding model seriously undermines our ability to
move resources to best meet needs when required.

Where are we at?

Under the proposed model, Catholic systemic schools will be funded by the system according
to a Socio-economic Status (SES) formula for each school which are projections based on the
perceived wealth of local government areas. Using SES figures alone only tells one part of the
story. As we know, young families with high mortgages are not wealthy and do not have the
same capacity to pay as other parents in the same SES locality.

Funding Estimator

The School Funding Estimator model shows how much government money each school
contributes to the system. We believe this Estimator relies on flawed assumptions and may
mislead parents about the impact of the funding levels on school fees and the increasing cost
of education. While the dollar amount may seem significant over ten years, the projected
amounts basically only cover the annual cost of living increases and normal increases in
teacher salaries.

Gonski 2.0

I have always maintained that the guiding principles of any new funding model should be
excellence, equity and choice. Catholic education welcomes the Federal Governments
commitment to funding for students with additional learning needs, regardless of the school
they attend.

The Catholic sector believes that through discussion with the Federal Government our
concerns can be resolved. We invite you to help us in this endeavour. Please contact your
local Federal MP and ask them to reopen negotiations with the Catholic sector.

I am very grateful for your continued support in this important matter.

Yours sincerely

Dr Dan White
Executive Director of Sydney Catholic Schools