Empowering local schools
The Gillard Labor Government will drive improved student performance and outcomes by giving principals, parents and each school community greater power to determine how their local school is run – including greater responsibility for school budgets, determining the right mixture of staff, and setting local priorities.
A national roll-out will commence with 1,000 schools over 2012 and 2013, with schools gaining responsibility for the following core elements, tailored to the needs of each school:
- Enhanced school governance arrangements, giving school councils or boards responsibility for strategic planning, and oversight of the school’s operations and finances. This will enhance parental and community ownership of local schools.
- Responsibility for finance and the school budget, which will initially involve a single budget for staffing. Schools will then move to a one-line school budget that allows them to fully manage the allocation of all resources, to meet the unique needs of students at each school and drive improved student performance.
- Management of the school staffing profile, including support staff, which will involve determining the right mix of staff, recruitment and staff selection.
- Principals will have a greater role in staff performance management within existing enterprise bargaining arrangements.
The specific functions each school will exercise will be determined by the school and the education authority through an application process, and will be based upon the school’s size and their current level of independence.
The Gillard Labor Government will invest $484 million by 2018 to rollout these reforms, including $71.9 million over the forward estimates.
Participating schools will receive a start up grant of between $40,000 and $50,000, as well as support and training, so they can effectively undertake these new responsibilities. In total, $47.3 million over the next four years will be provided to schools in start-up funding.
The Gillard Labor Government will also provide $17.7 million over the next four years to school systems – government and non-government – to support this transition.
An additional $6.9 million will fund implementation, including the development of a specific training course for principals on leading and managing a more autonomous school, the development of innovative governance models and a longitudinal evaluation.
This reform will enable school communities to use their local knowledge and understanding of the needs of their students to allocate resources and make school based decisions. This will drive localised educational responses and better learning outcomes for students.
Empowering Local Schools - Fact Sheet
Downloads