Rural citys public students to gain from a $1.3m windfall AN end of term windfall has offered 18 Rural City of Wangaratta state schools more scope as they prepare to plan their 2016 programs. The schools, including Wangaratta High School, Wangaratta District Specialist School, and primary schools in the city and surrounding towns, will share in almost $1.3 million from the State Government to be directed not at infrastructure, but programs aimed at maximising student learning. Jaclyn Symes (MLC, Northern Victoria) said schools she had spoken to planned to use the funding for purposes like literacy and numeracy coaches, welfare officers and staff training. Its allowing schools to not stress about the bottom line in bringing kids up to speed, she said. For a lot of them, its just a relief, when they were wondering how they were going to run certain programs next year. While they have welcomed the funding as part of $10 million across the region local schools say they will have a better idea of what it means, and where it will be directed, when they receive their indicative budgets today. That will give us the whole picture, so we are waiting with bated breath to see what it brings, Appin Park Primary School principal Wendy Larcombe told the Wangaratta Chronicle yesterday. Ms Larcombe said it was pleasing to see a $101,505 increase for Appin Park after it received little additional funding last year, an issue the school had raised with Education Minister James Merlino during his recent visit, and with the Department of Education. It is pretty gratifying to know they have listened, she said. Continued page 2 Clever cash windfall to aid public schools From page 1 Ms Larcombe said the funding was provided under a much fairer model, as the previous model did not take into account schools like Appin Park, whose socio-economic issues were calculated as middle of the road, but which still had students and families who needed additional support. Schools with a very high level of disadvantage were already receiving very generous funds, but schools like ours were expected to be making do with less, she said. Yarrunga Primary School has been handed an additional $245,313, which principal Karyn Forge said would help expand literacy and numeracy programs developed using the Federal Governments National Partnerships funding about four years ago. Well be focusing on literacy and numeracy because we know that makes a difference to people in their lives, she said. Ms Forge said the funding would help increase the duration of programs to assist students in need. Where we might have been able to run them for a term, now we can run them for a year, she said. But we will need to have the whole indicative budget to see the numbers and see what it looks like. Wangaratta District Specialist School assistant principal Chris Harvison said the schools $131,693 allocation said he was absolutely rapt to see any extra funding which diversified the curriculum. Im sure our team will have fantastic ideas for how we can use the funding, he said. This year we have employed literacy and numeracy coaches, and the funding for that has run out, so that will be among the considerations. Essentially, it means we dont have to rule out things. Wangaratta High School principal Heather Sarau said the planets had aligned, with its $460,401 additional funding allocation coming just as the school commenced a review, which would be completed by the end of the year. She said the review would determine how best the money could be directed to student learning. Our demographic has changed the data tells us that, she said. We have more students who need additional support. But I love the fact that the government is saying regardless of background, we want every child to succeed, and this is about enabling us to provide more support to the students who need it. Well be trying to use this funding as creatively as we can. CASH EACH STATE SCHOOL IN RURAL CITY OF WANGARATTA IS GETTING Wangaratta High School $460,401 Yarrunga Primary School $245,313 Wangaratta West Primary School $218,189 Wangaratta District Specialist School $131,693 Appin Park Primary School $101,505 Wangaratta Primary School $47,795 Springhurst Primary School $9903 Glenrowan Primary School $8672 Oxley Primary School $6359 Carraragarmungee Primary School $5000 Edi Upper Primary School $5000 Everton Primary School $5000 Greta Valley Primary School $5000 Milawa Primary School $5000 Moyhu Primary School $5000 Myrrhee Primary School $5000 Whitfield District Primary School $5000 Whorouly Primary School $5000 Caption Text: WELCOME WINDFALL: Appin Park Primary School principal Wendy Larcombe, with students (back) Ashlee ONeill, Thomas Clough, Ebony ODonohue and (front) Regan OBrien, is happy the school has won additional State Government funding.