$68M but teachers still cut

TERRITORY schools will get an extra $68 million from the Federal Government next year, but NT Education Minister Peter Chandler says he won’t use the money to backtrack on teacher cuts.

Mr Chandler, speaking after returning from a meeting with federal minister Christopher Pyne, said the funding for next year was ‘‘better than promised’’ under Labor’s Gonski school funding model.

‘‘ Next year we will sit down and work out a new deal for all the states,’’ Mr Chandler said.

Cuts to teachers have been one of the hottest political topics in the Territory in recent months.

The government changes to student-teacher ratios will result in a net loss of 35 teachers — though Labor and the Australian Education Union argue that figure is closer to 100.

Early childhood classes will be smaller, offset by additional teacher losses in middle and senior schools.

AEU NT president Matthew Cranitch said it would cost $10 million of the extra funding to reverse the planned cuts and called on the Government to act to end the ongoing industrial dispute.

Mr Chandler said the $68 million would not go to the recurrent education budget and would instead be used for capital projects and to fund other reforms.

‘‘If we (reverse the cuts), in 12 months’ time when that extra funding runs out what would we do then? We’d be cutting teachers,’’ he said.

Mr Chandler said the funding could establish a new special needs school at Palmerston and ensure the new NT Open Education Centre was built ahead of schedule.