Workforce availability (staffing to meet student need)

1. What is the funding to support teachers in classrooms with students with disability.

Directorate response:

• Funding for students with disability was maintained from 2025 into 2026 with a 3% indexation, with additional funding available for new or increased needs.
• Schools can request additional resourcing during the year, assessed centrally.
• No system-level funding reduction has occurred; however, schools determine how supports are allocated locally.

Follow-up:

ACT Parents notes we are hearing reports of reduced supports in schools. This warrants further investigation.

2. What is being done to provide sufficient Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) across schools?

Directorate response:

• LSA support is funded through overall school funding (Schools Resourcing Allocation + disability loadings).
• Funding levels have been maintained or increased, but schools decide how to allocate staffing.
• Concerns should first be raised with the school (teacher, coordinator, principal), with escalation pathways available.

3. We have been told there was no reduction to LSA support at our school, but parents have come to our P&C meetings saying their child no longer has the support of an LSA. It just seems the reality in the classroom isn't what we are being told.

Directorate response:

• There has been no reduction in overall funding for disability support, with 2025 funding rolled into 2026 and additional funding available where needs increase.
• Decisions about how support (including LSAs) is provided are made at the school level, based on student need and the adjustments in place.
• Parents are encouraged to raise concerns with the school and review the supports in place, with escalation pathways available if needed via the Inclusion Team This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 6205 6925.

 

4. What is being done about workforce issues including staffing levels and staff retention.

Directorate response:

• Staffing pressures largely reflect a national teacher shortage issue, with ACT actively recruiting and providing scholarships and career pathways.
• There are approximately 37 vacancies (8 permanent and 29 temporary vacancies) across a total of around 6,000 school-based staff.
• Retention is stable or improving, particularly for early-career teachers.
• Ongoing challenges include a limited casual workforce and increased staff absences.  Schools struggle most with casual relief teachers, especially in Terms 2 and 3.
• Schools can escalate staffing pressures for system-level support.

 

Expenditure & Transparency

5. Is school-level expenditure data (staffing, maintenance, discretionary spending) publicly available in a comparable format?

Directorate response:

• School-level expenditure data is not publicly available in a comparable format.
• Oversight occurs through Directorate systems and school boards.

6. Are there plans to improve transparency so P&Cs and communities can better understand how funding is used?

Directorate summary:

• Improving transparency is an active focus, including work being done with principals and as part of the Public School Resourcing Review.
• Broader public transparency would require further policy consideration.

7. How is school resourcing structured at the college level, particularly how costs are allocated for students undertaking school-based apprenticeships while attending school part-time?

Directorate response:

• Funding is allocated via the SRA model with stage-based loadings.
• Some vocational programs are supported centrally.

• David Matthews (CFO) to provide details on VET/apprenticeship funding arrangements.

8. Is there funding in budgets or grants for camps and other programs in early childhood schools.

Directorate response:

• There are no specific line items for camps.
• Schools receive a global budget and allocate funds locally.

 

Reliability and stability of funding 

9. How does the Directorate ensure stability and reliability in school funding, particularly for planned infrastructure projects, so schools and P&Cs can plan with confidence?

Directorate response:

• 2026 funding maintained 2025 levels with additional adjustments, providing stability.
• Infrastructure planning is being strengthened through system-wide planning and forecasting.
• Directorate acknowledged communication gaps and committed to improvement.

10. Are all ACT public schools funded at 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS)? If not, what is the timeline to reach full funding and how many schools are below target? (SRS (Schooling Resource Standard) is the national funding benchmark)

Directorate response:

• All ACT public schools are funded at over 100% (~109%) of SRS.
• ACT is the only jurisdiction above 100% for all public schools.

Member context noted:

• Despite this, members reported experiencing ongoing resourcing pressures in schools.

ACT Parents noted that the assumptions underlying the Federal SRS formula, which determines the base funding to schools per student, has not kept pace with increases to student need.

 

11. How does the ACT Government advocate at the federal level to ensure public schools receive a fair share of education funding?

Response summary:

• ACT participates in national negotiations and advocacy, including the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement.
• The Public School Resourcing Review will inform future advocacy.

12. What outcomes are used to evaluate whether funding is adequate (e.g. student achievement, wellbeing, class sizes)?

Directorate response:

• Funding is allocated based on student need (SRA model: Student Resource Allocation (SRA) is the ACT model used to distribute funding to schools). It looks at a whole range of factors in terms of profile of need in a school.
  
  
  • Outcomes are monitored through the school improvement framework and student outcome data
• Schools are expected to evaluate impact and adjust practice accordingly.

ACT Parents noted that the Education Directorate’s SRA formula was established in 2016 and is indexed at 3% annually. However, we understand that assumptions underlying the formula, have not been updated to reflect the increases in student need.

Equity of opportunity

Infrastructure/facilities  

13. Why do some schools have significantly fewer facilities and poorer infrastructure than neighbouring schools, and what is being done to ensure more equitable provision?

Directorate response:

• Infrastructure investment is guided by condition assessments and the asset renewal programs
• There is significant variation across schools.
• There is an increasing focus on equity, including inclusive infrastructure investment.

ACT Parents notes that public school infrastructure and facilities have not previously been managed in a systemic manner, which has resulted in inequitable experiences across schools.

Language and specialist programs  

14. Lack of consistent access to second language and music specialist teachers in some schools – what support is provided to ensure students do not miss out, and why are the same schools repeatedly affected?

Directorate response:

• Improvements in language provision are underway via the Languages Education Action Plan, leading to an increase in the number of schools able to to deliver a second language.
• Delivery depends on workforce availability and school-level decisions
• Arts (including music) are delivered across a broader rotating curriculum.
• Workforce constraints remain a key issue.

15. Why did the Directorate cancel the school IMP (instrumental music program) strings programme that was centrally funded if funding hasn’t been reduced?

Directorate response:

• Overall IMP funding has not changed.
• The strings program was a pilot in a limited number of schools.
• Funding was redirected to a broader band program to increase access across the system as a whole.
• Workforce availability also influenced the decision.

Equitable resourcing for disadvantaged school communities  

16. How equitable is the voluntary contribution model? Do lower ICSEA schools receive fewer contributions, and how does this impact access to programs compared to higher-contributing schools?

Directorate response:

• Higher ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) schools generally raise more voluntary contributions.
• The SRA includes loadings to support lower ICSEA schools, as they may have a greater need but reduced capacity to raise voluntary contributions.

17. What additional supports are being provided to schools in disadvantaged areas (e.g. Charnwood, Richardson) to address inequity and improve outcomes?

Directorate response:

• Equity is addressed through needs-based funding (SRA) and system-level supports
• The Public School Resourcing Review is expected to provide further direction.

Resourcing and prioritising infrastructure and maintenance  

18. Latham roof repairs were planned but cancelled due to budget constraints, leading to black mould in classrooms and significant damage to library resources, when will this be addressed?

Directorate response:

• Roof replacements have proven more complex and costly due to asbestos and hidden hazards, leading to a more cautious, feasibility-based approach.
• A new approach requires detailed feasibility assessments before works proceed.
• Schools such as Latham Primary, Garran Primary, Red Hill Primary, Telopea Park School and Melba Copland Secondary College are priorities for further assessment.  

19. How does the Directorate prioritise funding for older schools with higher maintenance needs, including hazards like asbestos or ageing facilities?

Directorate response:

• Around two thirds of ACT public schools were built before 1992. Significant challenges remain due to ageing infrastructure.
• Prioritisation is based on condition assessments and compliance and safety needs. There is a three-year condition assessment program underway across all schools.

20. What criteria determine which ACT public schools receive major upgrades or new facilities?

Directorate response:

• Decisions are made through the government budget process, informed by Directorate advice.
• Factors include:
  • Enrolment growth
  • Infrastructure condition
  • Strategic opportunities for modernisation

21. With Garran PS undergoing a knockdown and rebuild, how is the decision made on which schools are rebuilt versus which are renovated or updated? There are many older schools around that same age, will they be undergoing knockdown rebuild also? There was a lot of discussion on social media about this topic when Malkara and Woden schools were closed for a long period again recently.

Directorate response:

• Decisions about whether a school is rebuilt, modernised or upgraded are made by government through the budget process, based on Directorate advice.
• Key factors include enrolment growth (capacity needs), infrastructure condition and opportunities to combine expansion with upgrades.
• Not all older schools will undergo knock down rebuilds, projects are prioritised based on system-wide need and available funding.

22. Can schools or P&Cs access the prioritisation framework used for capital works?

Directorate response:

• No formal publicly available prioritisation framework was outlined.

23. How are decisions made between competing priorities (e.g. enrolment growth vs deteriorating infrastructure)?

Directorate response:

• Not all projects can be delivered at once and decisions involve balancing:
  • Capacity needs
  • Condition and safety
  • Available funding

24. In co-contribution situations if a smaller school takes longer to raise the co-contribution than a larger school are the smaller schools being pushed down the queue from the government contribution? 

Directorate response:

• There have been no decisions not to proceed with projects due to a lack of co-contribution.
• Project delays have instead been driven by funding constraints and the need to prioritise across competing projects
• The Directorate is working to improve efficiency and manage project scope so more projects can be delivered each year.

25. Concerns about schools falling significantly behind in infrastructure (e.g. inadequate play spaces, unsafe toilets, leaking roofs) and requiring prolonged advocacy, what processes are in place to prevent this?

Directorate response:

• Directorate acknowledged the high demand and constrained funding as well as the need for improved planning and communication
• Improvements are underway through better data (condition assessments) and system-wide planning approaches

26. You mentioned there is a commitment to the Heating and Cooling Fund of $15 million. How far will the $15 million for heating and cooling go? Many of our classrooms at Mount Rogers Primary do not have any form of cooling or heating and internal temperatures in summer have been recorded at 28 degrees.

Directorate response:

• $15 million is the first stage of a $30 million commitment. A system-wide audit is underway to prioritise investment, and we don’t yet have an indication of the scope of the program.
• The infrastructure team is visiting school to identify options for thermal regulation including non-capital solutions (e.g. ventilation improvements).