1086. Hon Alison Xamon to the Minister for Education and Training:
I refer to the withdrawal of $1,145 per student from schools with enrolments above 1,200 students, and I ask:
(a) have there been any cuts to staffing, programs or services as the result of the reduction of funding; and
(b) if yes to (a), please advise the details of:
(i) how many staff positions have been cut, and at which schools;
(ii) which programs have been cut, and at which schools; and
(iii) any other services which have been cut, and at which schools?
Hon Sue Ellery replied:
(a) Each school now operates with a one-line budget, which provides greater flexibility to develop educational programs and staffing profiles that best suit the needs of the school community within the school’s budget parameters. This includes decisions related to the type and number of staff they employ and the programs they run. The Department is therefore unable to identify any specific reductions in staffing, programs or services that can be directly attributable to this per-student funding change.
All schools receive a per-student allocation for each student enrolled at the February student census. With increasing enrolments, the total per-student funding amount for large senior high schools was sufficient to meet all fixed costs and to generate economies of scale to enable a significant amount of discretionary funding in comparison to schools with lower enrolments. The reduced per-student allocation once an enrolment threshold is met provides additional funding to large senior high schools, but at a slower rate of growth than for smaller senior high schools.
(b) (i)–(iii) Not applicable.