THE GONSKI 2.0 PLAN FOR SCHOOLS FUNDING
* Still calculates schools funding with a base per-student amount (known as SRS) plus loadings to compensate for poorer, disabled, non-English speaking and indigenous students and schools that are small or remote.
* The per student base amount in 2018 will be $10,576 for primary students and $13,290 for secondary school students.
* Those amounts will be indexed at 3.56 per cent a year through to 2020, and move to a floating indexation based on inflation and wage increases from 2021 (with a minimum increase each year of 3 per cent).
* Government funding to private schools takes into account a measure of parental capacity to pay. How that's calculated will be reviewed and may change in 2019. In the meantime, $46 million in transition funds will be available to Catholic and independent schools in 2018.
* The commonwealth share of funding will move to 20 per cent of SRS for public schools and 80 per cent for private schools - more than its average share now and in line with historical arrangements.
* Schools below the SRS will move up over six years and schools above SRS will move down over 10 years.
* Total commonwealth school funding will increase by $23.5 billion over the next decade
* State and territory governments are expected to make up the rest (ie 80 per cent for public schools and 20 per cent for private). Late changes to the legislation lock in regular increases to make sure states reach these required amounts over the next six years or at the very least don't cut funding..
* An independent National School Resourcing Board will be established to keep an eye on how the states and other school authorities distribute funds to schools and review funding levels and other matters, including how parental capacity to pay is calculated. This board will cost $7.2 million over four years.
* Businessman David Gonski, who led the 2011 review of school funding, has agreed to head a new review of the most effective ways to spend money to improve student achievement.
