ACT NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE -
Public Schools are Being Starved of Funds!

Stand up for your school!
Did you know that:
The 81 elite private schools in NSW receive $100 million of public money each year!
Changes to Federal policy mean that they will continue to get at least this amount NO
MATTER HOW MUCH THEY INCREASE THEIR FEES, no matter how luxurious their
facilities and no matter how small their classes!
Public schools need an injection of $400 million just to restore the parity they had five
years ago!
Public funding is financing massive expansion and capital works projects in private
schools.
Public schools have had a 26 per cent cut in capital expenditure over three years.
Public schools have to disclose the source and expenditure of all their funds and justify
their programs, while private schools disclose nothing, account for nothing and justify
nothing!
Over the last three years NSW public school students from nonEnglish speaking
backgrounds have increased by 24 000, while students receiving support through the
English-as-a-second language Program has fallen by 4000.
While the 81 elite private schools annually receive $100 million in public money, the 479
most disadvantaged public schools share between them a mere $17 million in Federal
funding through the Disadvantaged School Program (DSP).
Targeted pre-schooling and social support is desperately needed for at-risk children and
their families.
Studies show that $1 invested in programs such as DSP repays $10 in school success,
employment and crime prevention.
Australia's enormous and increasing subsidies for private schools ($3.7 billion each year)
are unique in the world.
The Enrolment Benchmark Adjustment, justified by the Federal Government on the basis
of falling public school enrolments, has resulted in $30 million being taken from public
schools over two years, despite an increase of 17,000 in their enrolments.
What can you do about this?
Look for the leaflet included in the last mailout to affiliates. Ensure that the information on
the leaflet is distributed to all parents and teachers.
You can use the above information in discussions at parent meetings and community
meetings, write to your local State and Federal members in protest, and write to the
newspapers, local and metropolitan.
It is vital that this situation be stopped now! Your children's education and future depends
on it. Australia's democratic way of life depends on It.

For more information contact the Federation of P&C Associations of NSW on (02) 9360
2481.