YACVic Submission: Inquiry into Public School Funding

Summary

We made a submission to the Victorian Government’s Inquiry into Public School Funding. Specifically, the impacts of the Victorian Government’s decision to delay raising Victoria’s school funding to 75 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) until 2031, effectively cutting $2.4 billion from what was previously committed to public schools.

We ask that the Victorian Parliament urgently fully fund public schools to meet the SRS.

The SRS is not an aspirational standard of school funding. It was designed as the minimum funding required so that schools can have at least 80% of their students achieving learning outcomes above the national minimum standards in NAPLAN reading and numeracy.¹ It is the minimum required per student to give every child, regardless of their background, the opportunity to access quality education and achieve their potential.¹

Our submission focuses on the significant impacts this cut has on current and future students, and on Victoria’s teaching and school workforce.

Key points

• Chronic underfunding of public schools disproportionately harms students from low socio-economic backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, rural and regional students, disabled students, and students from non-English speaking backgrounds.² This widens achievement and wellbeing gaps.³
• Student needs have become increasingly complex,⁴ while school attendance and early child developmental readiness have declined,^4,5 making adequate resourcing critical for educational engagement and outcomes.
• School shortages of wellbeing staff and supports, large class sizes, and overwhelmed teachers limit early intervention and tailored student support.³
• Underfunding has driven unsustainable teacher workloads, workforce shortages, and attrition, undermining teacher quality and the ability to meet rising community and student expectations.³
• Fully funding public schools is essential for equity, and long-term social and economic outcomes. Investment in education would generate significant economic returns through improved education, wellbeing, and workforce participation.⁶