The Federal Government has announced it will allow schools in the ACT greater control over managing budgets and the recruitment of teachers under a joint initiative between the Federal and Territory governments.

 

The Federal Government will provide more than $1.3 million to the ACT Government to roll out our Empowering Local Schools initiative over the next two years.

 

As part of the initiative, eight schools in the ACT, to be announced in May, will receive a start-up grant of up to $50,000 to help implement initiatives that provide them with more autonomy.
 
Under the program:

  • Each school will be given a direct budget, giving principals greater flexibility to allocate teaching and staff resources where they are needed most.
  • Principals will be able to recruit and manage their own staff in most cases, rather than staff being centrally allocated to schools.
  • Schools will be able to offer financial management training to principals, teachers and board members, allowing schools to improve their leadership skills.

 

The Federal Government will also provide $712,000 to non-government schools in the ACT to help them develop new governance arrangements and provide extra training opportunities for staff.

 

Funding agreements have also been signed with the Catholic and independent sectors in the majority of states and territories.