Education union 'blindsided' by ACT public school budget shake-up
Public schools in the ACT have received their budgets for next year, with a change in the way their funding is calculated, seeing a number of colleges facing a reduction.
The ACT Education Directorate has announced a significant change to the way public school budgets are calculated in the Australian Capital Territory. Independent review found the old system was weighted too heavily towards older students, with 43 schools set to receive about the same funding as 2026, 31 schools will see an increase of over 5%, and 18 schools will see their funding drop by more than 5%.
Among the hardest hit are the nine ACT colleges, facing a combined $4 million budget reduction. The Australian Education Union's ACT branch president, Angela Burroughs, said the changes could force schools to cut whole programs. ACT Parents executive officer Veronica Elliott expressed surprise at the funding reduction for colleges, stating that it could affect staffing and the courses available.
Meanwhile, the ACT Education Director-General Jo Wood said the change was made to address equity issues, with a focus on primary schools. The Directorate added a supplement for schools that cannot fully reduce their funding, aiming to support principals during this challenging period.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
