Tasmanian State Budget 2018 TASSO Welcomes Record Spend on Education

TASMANIAN ASSOCIATION OF STATE SCHOOL ORGANISATIONS INC.

Office: 15 Rowitta Road Lindisfarne phone: 03 6243 7718
PO Box 183 Lindisfarne TAS 7015 email: manager@tasso.org.au

The Tasmanian Association of State School Organisations Inc. (TASSO) welcome the record investment in education in yesterday’s budget. The $192.2 million the Government is investing in education is a sound investment for our children’s future prosperity and better educational outcomes and career prospects.
We are delighted about the 277 new staff including the 192 new teachers to be employed over the next four years, 10 new teachers for school farms, and 35 additional literacy and numeracy coaches. 80 fulltime equivalent teacher assistants to start in 2020.
TASSO is encouraged to see the Government continuing to support some of our most at-risk students with $4.3 Million for Southern Support School, that has had wonderful educational outcomes that are being achieved at the Support Schools in the North and South. This coincides with improved and positive educational outcomes in Autism Units and Learning Centres in Government Schools around the state. Newly developed Autism Units in the North & North West will help see this success spread throughout the state. We are also glad to hear of the further allocation of funds to implement the Ministerial Taskforce recommendations for the Education of Students with Disabilities.
As well as the 10 new teachers for school farms mentioned above we are pleased to see increased funding of school farms, in the form of $800,00 over four years and an additional $7.3 million to infrastructure at the Jordan River Learning Federation and Sheffield District School Farms. School farms form a vital part of providing a diverse educational environment for students.
TASSO is pleased to see needs based funding role out this has been an initiative TASSO has supported now for many years and we are very glad to see it come to life.
Despite our general happiness with this budget TASSO would like to see in future budgets Student Assistant Scheme (STAS) indexed to meet the rising cost of Education, which would help relieve financial pressures on School Resource Packages.
Overall the funding in The Budget shows the Minister has been listening and working with school communities, educational professionals and organisations like TASSO for improved and positive educational outcomes.
Nigel Jones – Junior Vice President