$2.93 Billion Boost to Improve Student Outcomes in Budget 2024: Erica Stanford

The additional funding will raise the total investment in schools and early childhood education by 3.6 percent in the coming year to $19.1 billion.

The coalition Government is set to increase education spending by $2.93 billion over the next four years to enhance student outcomes, Education Minister Erica Stanford announced.

"The investment includes extra funding for new classrooms, additional teacher support, and early childhood education," Ms. Stanford stated. "It also includes previously announced additional funding for structured literacy, more teachers, the school lunches programme, charter schools, and period products in schools."

Key Investments

The additional funding will raise the total investment in schools and early childhood education by 3.6 percent in the coming year to $19.1 billion. Notably, $429 million in savings within Vote Education has been redirected to higher priority frontline areas within education.

Specific Allocations

Education Property: $1.48 billion for new schools, classrooms, and school maintenance.

Healthy School Lunches Programme: $478 million operating funding for Ka Ora Ka Ako to continue for two more years, including $8 million for a targeted early childhood food programme.

School Operating Grants: $199 million over four years, including a 3 percent increase for Schools Equity and Isolation Index-based components and a 2.5 percent increase for other components.

Early Childhood Education Subsidy: $191 million over four years for a 2 percent cost adjustment for subsidies and Equity Funding.

Digital Services: $163 million over four years to support digital services in schools, including cybersecurity and equipment replacement.

Charter Schools: $153 million over four years to establish Charter Schools | Kura Hourua.

Structured Literacy: $67 million over four years for implementing structured literacy in all state primary schools.

Teacher Supply and Retention: $53 million over four years for teacher supply, retention, and attraction initiatives.

ESOL Students: $45 million over four years to support the rapid increase of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students.

School High Health Needs Fund: $15 million over four years to increase funding.

Playcentre Funding: $13 million over four years for sustainable funding.

Period Products: $14 million over four years for ongoing funding of Ikura Period products in schools.

Holidays Act Remediation: $32 million for school employees based on an updated estimate of liability.

Focus on School Property

The substantial investment in school property, covering new schools and classrooms, school maintenance, and depreciation, aims to ensure students learn in safe, warm, and dry environments. This funding will also enable repairs and upgrades to existing buildings, improving learning environments for both students and teachers.

Commitment to Student Achievement

Minister Stanford emphasized the Government's dedication to improving student achievement through various measures such as establishing a knowledge-rich curriculum, enhancing reading and math outcomes, implementing consistent ways of monitoring student progress, improving teacher training, providing better support to students with additional needs, and making greater use of data.

"Budget 2024 is an important step along this path," Ms. Stanford concluded.