..but Catholic system needs more: MP

THE State Government has announced an extra $38.9 million in funding for Victoria’s Catholic schools.

But local National MP, Bill Sykes (MLA, Benalla) said the money, while welcome, still leaves Victorian Catholic schools underfunded in comparison with Catholic schools in other states of Australia.

The announcement comes after months of lobbying and harassment by the Catholic Church, Catholic schools and the Liberal-National Coalition.

Mr Sykes said the government should increase its funding in line with the Liberal-National policy of $390 million over four years and in recognition of the financial and emotional stress caused by the drought on country Victorian families.

Premier John Brumby said the major capital grants program will ease the pressure on school budgets and free up local school resources that would otherwise be spent on maintenance and capital programs to help target better student learning programs.

Students at St Mary’s Primary School in Mansfield are among the 184,000 students in the state’s Catholic system expected to benefit from the program.

St Mary’s school principal, Adrian Cheer, said the additional capital funds would be most timely for Catholic schools as they would ease the pressure on his school budget.

He said although St Mary’s was not rostered for maintenance works next year, it did not mean they would not receive any of the funding.

"It means the Catholic Education system will allocate the new funding to where it is most needed and it will help alleviate a current imbalance," he said.

"All parents of students at the school will be receiving a letter this week outlining this new funding."

The additional funding follows the Catholic teachers and principals last month brokering a $350 million salary deal over three years to put them on par with state school colleagues.

The Catholic Education Office is now negotiating the next funding arrangement with the State Government.

The capital grant is on top of the current four-year, $1 billion funding agreement between the government and Catholic schools, which expires next year.