Trick Figures
Herald Sun Saturday, June 12, 2004
I read an editorial recently, complaining that “more federal money is being allocated to private schools ($7.6b) than to state schools ($7.2b)”. But these are trick figures. You have to know to underline the word federal. The real figures include another $20b of taxpayers’ money, passed on to state governments, who give over $18b to state schools. The end result is that ever state school place gets $8948, while the average other school place gets $4787.
The editorial is full of tricks, but has a tone of injured innocence. Whoever wrote it could give lessons in selling dodgy second hand cars.
“Sectarian disputes [over schooling] have been put to rest,” it claims, “and that is where they should stay,” it reassures. But in fact, Catholics are still second class citizens in funding – for no just reason.
Non-state, non-Catholic schools get an even worse deal. Ignore for the moment the favourite targets, the few posh schools that really do spend more than normal on their students. They get extra-low funding anyway. Tax-paying families using low-spending independent schools, like ours, receive only around a third of their share of school funding. They have to make up the rest in after-tax fees. Meanwhile, millionaires using state schools get 100% funding.
The editorial gave quite the opposite impression. It must be election year.
Philip O'Carroll