An article in today’s Age reveals that Victorian parents are paying more than any other state for a “free” public education.
According to the article, “Victorian parents spent a total of $367.2 million on public education in 2022 – $85.2 million more than parents from NSW.”
The article also compares the income per student received by high-achieving schools in the public and private sectors.
Caulfield Grammar School made $31,006 per student, while Cranbourne East Secondary College made $290 per student. Both schools had a median study score of 33.
Parents Victoria CEO Gail McHardy is quoted in the article:
Gail McHardy from Parents Victoria said she expected parent contributions to drop further in 2024 as more parents struggled with the increased cost of living. She said public schools wouldn’t need to rely on parent contributions if governments funded all schools properly under the Gonski-devised Schooling Resource Standard.
“Until then, there will be some state schools who will need to review their policies and reconsider expectations on their school community around school costs and how all this impacts the students directly,” she said.
