By NICOLE WILLIAMS
PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd again called on Premier Denis Napthine to sign up to the Better School plan during a visit to Berwick last Wednesday.
Mr Rudd attended Brentwood Park Primary School with La Trobe MP Laura Smyth to discuss the Better School plan, formerly known as the Gonski reforms, with principal Jim Bell.
But during a visit to Berwick only two days later, Dr Napthine said he was unwilling to sign until Victoria ’got the right answer’ from the Federal Government.
Dr Napthine said the State Government was prepared to provide $3.5 billion in additional state funding and was negotiating for the Federal Government to provide an additional $7 billion.
“The challenge is to get that across the line,” he said.
“We just want the best outcome for the schools. We will work until we get the right answer.”
Dr Napthine said one of his key concerns with a national plan was intervention by ’Canberra’s bureaucrats’.
“Our schools have a devolved management structure. Local principals, school councils and the local community are best at running a school,” he said.
“We don’t want Canberra’s bureaucrats to determine how and what to teach.”
Mr Rudd said it was time for Victoria to sign up to the plan.
“If Premier Napthine signs up $4 billion would be invested in Victorian schools – that is a lot of funding,” Mr Rudd said.
“The extra resources will stop us falling behind.”
Mr Rudd told the media that Brentwood Park Primary School was a ’great Australian state school’ which would benefit under the proposed school funding model.
“This school would be $2.8 million better off – that is a 48 per cent increase per student,” he said.
“That is not a small amount; that is a large amount. It will make the jobs of the teachers and principal easier.”
According to Mr Rudd, the Better Schools plan would make Australian students competitive with students graduating from within some of the world’s best education systems.
“This is an important plan for the country. It is about lifting the standard for all Australians and lifting the standards for all Australian school children,” he said.
“We want our kids to get the best jobs possible and their standard of living to be high as well.”
