$72.9 million flows to Kirwan school
ONE North Queensland school received more than $72.9 million in State and Federal government money in three years – giving it the highest funding in the region.
The massive amount of money some schools have received from governments can be revealed after an independent compilation of figures from the Myschool website.
Kirwan State High School received more money from government coffers than any other school in the region, receiving $72.9 million over the three most recently available years.
Ryan Catholic College, in Kirwan, received the second highest amount of State and Federal government funding with $68.4 million.
Pimlico State High School in Gulliver was the third highest in the region receiving $68.4 million over the three year period.
Pimlico State High School principal Joel Buchholz said the State Government used a funding formula to ensure “equitable and comparable resourcing across state schools”.
“As in any school, the majority of funding is spent on staffing. Pimlico has invested in staffing roles that help support quality teaching and learning and that ensure the effective delivery of our specialist programs,” he said.
“For example, the school uses a team of experienced teachers who spend a component of their time providing coaching support to continually enhance the classroom practice of our teachers. This year, the school has also established a new director of music position to help oversee the school’s large and growing instrumental and vocal music programs.”
Mr Buchholz said additional grants allowed for capital works, with the latest program supporting high schools’ transition to six cohorts. Next year will be the first year high schools will have six full-sized cohorts.
“As part of that funding, Pimlico was able to secure funding for additional classroom spaces and we made the decision to use this to expand our specialist music facilities. Our new state-of-the-art facility incorporates practice rooms, a recording studio, a small performance space and classrooms,” he said.
The figures reveal exactly how much money every school has received from government funding over 2015, 2016 and 2017 calendar years and how much money has been spent on capital projects over the 2015, 2016 and 2017 financial years.
Abergowrie State School in Abergowrie received the most government funding per student of any school in the North Queensland region. The school, which had four students in 2017, received $89,882 in government funding for each child.
Toobanna State School near Ingham received $86,893 for each of its four students in 2017, the North Queensland region’s second highest funding per student.
Over 2015, 2016 and 2017 financial years, Southern Cross Catholic College, in Annandale, spent $14.7 million on capital expenditure, more than any other school in the North Queensland region.
Over that same three year period Kirwan State High School spent $11.6 million on capital expenditure, the region’s second highest.
Townsville Grammar School spent $10.7 million on capital expenditure over that period, the third highest in the North Queensland region.