The State’s schools are set to reap billions in funding for new builds, upgrades, and supports for teachers to address workforce shortages.
NSW State Budget 2024-25, handed down by State Treasurer Daniel Mookhey on Tuesday, includes $8.9bn in funding for building new schools and upgrading existing ones.
The focus of the new school builds is Western Sydney, which has experienced a population boom in recent years. The NSW Government has set aside $3.6bn to build more than 60 schools in the region.
The Budget also allocated $1.8bn in maintenance for existing schools – an increase of $200m from last year. This includes $600m for school maintenance work, including planned and preventative maintenance and essential repairs.
A 2023 survey found there are nearly 10,000 lessons without a teacher across the state every day due to a 42% shortfall in the number of casual teachers available to teach classes. This means public schools across the state have been left short on average 3,000 casual teachers every day – nearly half of what is required to meet the state’s educational demand.
In regional NSW, where staff shortages are being most keenly felt, schools will benefit from $1.4bn, which will go towards new and upgraded schools, as well as an expansion of the government’s Priority Recruitment Support Program to tackle workforce shortages. The program helps short-staffed schools offer a $20,000 recruitment bonus and an $8,000 relocation package to incentivise prospective staff.
A pay rise for the State’s 95,000 teachers is also expected to bring more people into the profession and ensure schools are adequately staffed. Improved job security for teachers was also flagged, with 16,589 temporary teachers and support staff being offered permanent positions under the Temporary Workforce Transition initiative.
The NSW Government has also pledged to increase its share of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) for public schools to 75% in response to reports that the sector is severely underfunded compared to independent schools. Currently, public schools receive only 89% of the resources agreed to under the Gonski agreement struck more than ten years ago.
'A step in the right direction'
NSW Teachers Federation President Henry Rajendra said the NSW Government's funding pledge in the 2024-25 Budget is "a step in the right direction."
"Now we really need the Albanese Government to step up and provide funding needed for our public schools to thrive," Raendra told The Educator. "To ensure that every student has access to a high-quality education, the Albanese government must fulfil its responsibility by contributing the remaining 25 per cent of the SRS."
Rajendra said failure to do so "will leave hundreds of thousands of students without the resources they need to reach their full potential."
"The state of our public school infrastructure demands greater investment in capital works," Rajendra said.
"The Federal Budget's confirmation that the Albanese Government will no longer provide capital works funding for public schools, while allocating nearly $1 billion to private schools over the next four years, is deeply concerning."
Rajendra said this decision highlights "a misalignment of priorities" and requires immediate action from the Prime Minister to address the disparities in public school provision across the nation.
However, Rajendra said the NSW Teachers Federation welcomes the NSW Government's $83.1m commitment to provide certainty and security for TAFE NSW teachers, students, and communities.
"This investment is crucial in reversing the loss of 8,000 TAFE NSW teachers under the previous government and ensuring that public education at TAFE NSW can help address the chronic skills shortage."
NSW Education Minister Prue Car has been contacted for comment.