Sharon Webb

TASMANIAN TEACHERS claim schools attended by Meander Valley students are missing out on between one and 34 extra teachers as a result of the funding agreement between the Tasmanian and federal Liberals.

They say that under the Gonski review of school funding Deloraine Primary School is entitled to an extra 8.3 teachers. Deloraine High School should have an extra 6.3 teachers.

Three days out from the election, the Tasmania’s Australian Education Union president David Genford said, ‘This underfunding is a huge failure from the Tasmanian Liberal Government.

‘They’ve failed to stand up for Tasmanian children at the federal level and they’ve failed to meet the shortfall so our kids are missing out.

‘This is not about capital funding or one-off expenditure, this is about every Tasmanian school and child missing out every year. On average, every school is missing out on $630,000 every year.’

Mr Genford said the schooling resource standard minimum school funding benchmark, that Liberal governments are failing to reach, is written into federal law and was developed independently by the 2011 Gonski Review of Funding for Schooling.

During the election campaign the Liberal party did not promise more classroom teachers.

Liberal education spokesperson Jeremy Rockliff said, ‘If reelected, we will continue our record investment into education and schools, with more than $133 million in funding to support teachers and over 62,000 State School students in Tasmania.’

Major Liberal funding promises included:

• $9.2 million additional professional support staff in schools

• $15.5 million for a new support school in Devonport

• $100 million to ‘revitalising learning spaces in schools and colleges’

• A 50 per cent increase in literacy coaches in classrooms.

Mr Genford said the union representing teachers, principals and support staff wanted

‘This proposal is good for families too. Last time I was at the Railton pump track I counted 20 kids using it or watching, and six adults having a barbecue. That’s the kind of activity we want in Deloraine.’ voters to know what was at stake for their local schools and colleges.

‘For every Tasmanian parent, imagine what your child could achieve with ten percent more funding, what your child’s school or college could achieve with ten percent more funding.

‘Every school has different needs. For some it is additional teachers, for others it is professional support staff such as school psychologists.

‘Some schools would run programs to help students who are falling behind and those that need to be extended.’