Public schools face funding cuts: report

SYDNEY (AAP) - May 25 - Public schools face a funding cut of more than $300 million if current financial arrangements aren't overhauled, a new report suggests.
The paper by Sydney University honorary associate professor Jim McMorrow, released on Wednesday, found public school funding would be down $332 million in real terms in three years' time, while private school funding would go up $939 million.
That is unless the federal government makes sweeping changes to the school funding system, which businessman David Gonski is reviewing, with his report due at the end of this year.
On the eve of public education day, Australian Education Union federal president Angelo Gavrielatos said public schools desperately needed a better deal from the government.
"While programs (such as national partnership agreements) are proving to be highly successful, our schools can't be reliant on one-off, add-on programs," he told educators and School Education Minister Peter Garrett in Canberra.
"A fundamental change is needed."