Minister for Education, Training and Employment John-Paul Langbroek today announced that five Sunshine Coast Schools will be among the first Queensland state schools to become Independent Public Schools in 2013.
Mr Langbroek said 26 schools were making history as Queensland’s first Independent Public Schools and were selected from 30 applicants.
The Sunshine Coast Schools are:
Brightwater SS
Mountain Creek SHS
Nambour SHS
Noosa District SHS
Peregian Springs SS
“The Newman Government went to the election with a promise to lift education standards in this state by giving schools greater control over their decision making, cutting red tape and removing layers of management,” Mr Langbroek said.
“This is a massive step forward for these schools that will now have more control over local decisions to help them shape their future and improve student outcomes.”
Mr Langbroek said participating schools included primary, secondary and special schools and represented both metropolitan and regional areas.
“We salute those schools who nominated despite a scandalous campaign of intimidation and fear run by Kevin Bates and the Queensland Teachers Union,” he said.
“I am appalled by the trickery of the QTU which went to P&C meetings and teacher meetings, spreading inaccuracies about the program.
“We believe that local school communities, parents, teachers and principals know what’s best for their children. We want to give them the power to make those decisions without interference.”
Mr Langbroek said the Department would work with the schools to ensure they were fully supported through this process.
“Independent Public Schools will have the freedom to directly recruit teachers and to build a team that is able to deliver innovative educational practices and have more autonomy to manage infrastructure and financial resources,” he said.
“We’ve done our homework and borrowed from the best examples of autonomous schools across Australia and in countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, the US and the UK.”
Mr Langbroek said each schoo l would receive $50,000 to assist with the change and an extra $50,000 in funding each year for administrative purposes.
He said the program would be extended to 120 schools over the next four years.
“The Newman Government is committed to working with Principals, teachers, parents and the wider school community to deliver the very best education for Queensland kids.”
Queensland’s Independent Public Schools