The NSW Government believes the reforms are in the best interests of NSW students, parents and teachers, and has identified $1.7 billion in savings needed to fund the state government’s share of the reforms.
Gonski provides more resources and fairer distribution and aims to achieve higher standards and a better education for every NSW child.
The NSW Government's announced education reforms delivering more local-decision making by principals and school communities, focusing on quality teaching and improving literacy and numeracy standards, are consistent with the direction of the Gonski Report.
The announcement supports these reforms with significant additional levels of funding - including a legislated guarantee of Commonwealth funding, which is to be in place by 1 July 2013.
The NSW Government has prioritised school education and made some tough decisions to find the $1.7 billion to fund Gonski.
Cabinet has agreed to fund NSW’s share through temporarily deferring the abolition of Inter-Governmental Agreement taxes, introducing an efficiency dividend to be put in place from July 2015, and further savings in the Budget, some of which will flow from the Government’s VET reforms, including the level of fees and subsidies, which are currently being considered by IPART.
Under these reforms there has been additional resources secured for classrooms across NSW, with the majority going to schools in most need.
Funding will deepen and accelerate reforms currently underway in NSW schools including the key principle of allocating resources directly to schools.
The reform builds on the NSW Government's commitment to deliver a world-class education system in NSW.