Independent School Funding
Saturday, January 01, 2000
Why the big mystery? Your article (30 August), canning Dr Kemp's new funding scheme for families using independent schools, says 60% of "Commonwealth" schools money will be going to the non-government sector.
But everyone knows that the lion's share of taxpayers' money for schooling goes to the state system. Obviously then this "Commonwealth" money refers to a smaller pipeline. If you don't tell us how much actually goes to a state school place and how much to a Catholic and Independent school place, you haven't told us anything.
As for the point that the new funding scheme could occasionally favour a millionaire if he lived at a poor address, note that he still won't get anywhere near as much in school funding as the thousands of millionaires who now use the state system!
Philip O'Carroll