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| BROOKS HIGH SCHOOL: Funding |
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SRP and mainstream programs
For the most part the source of Brooks High's budget is the same as all
other Tasmanian schools, the Schools Resource Package (SRP). The annual
amount is measured by enrolments and an Educational Needs Index (ENI),
by which the Tasmanian Department of Education assesses a school's
financial needs. Through this system, Brooks receives advantageous
funding due to established high needs.
Birribi and Spanners
The funding of Birribi and Spanners shows how Brooks creatively uses a
normal entitlement because the terms of the funding makes flexibility
possible. Brooks is allocated 1.3 of a base grade beginning teacher
under the Managing and Retaining Secondary Students in Schools (MARSSS)
program. Worth around $90,000 pa, it is cashed in to employ Marv at
Spanners as a Technical Aide, some part-time TAs at Birribi and to
cover general costs at Birribi and Spanners. ('These costs are
minimised as Spanners and Birribi managers are great scroungers,' says
Warren Pill.)
The teaching position of Chris Brooks, Birribi Manager, is included in the general staffing quota.
MARSSS funds also pay for students going to outside flexible programs
such as St Michael's programs, Intowork, Start@TAFE, the Warehouse and
others.
The Farm
The farm is largely self-funding. The Education Department pays $2000
pa for farm rental but other parts of the farm, belonging to others,
are rent-free at present. One teacher works only in Agriculture, and
two others do part of their teaching load on the farm. With the help of
VET students, a farm trainee and Brooks students, they manage all the
maintenance and emergencies, including on weekends and holidays. School
managers concede that this volunteer arrangement might not last
forever, but is working well for the time being.
Some of the animals used in classes belong to Brooks staff or local
farmers and are loaned temporarily to the farm. The farm makes money by
very successfully buying and selling cattle and sheep.
No Dole and Careers Room
Brooks is a Career and Transition (CATS) pilot school, along with, at
first with 3, and now extended to included 5 partner schools. CATS
helps to fund some No Dole activities and subsidises the Careers Room
operation. At least some of the objectives of CATS can be met or
assisted through activities delivered as part of No Dole.
One-off funding
In 2004, Brooks had two significant donations: the Civil Contractors
Association, (though the Beacon Foundation) gave Brooks $14,000 for
their continuing work as a lighthouse school for the No Dole program,
and the Federal Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST)
gave $34,000 Community Partnerships money to support Brooks' student
retention work and to support the sharing or all resources and best
practice procedures, as well as to defray the costs of responding to
enquiries and hosting visits by others, which numbers nearly 200 over
two years.
Spending priorities
"We consider the right people to be the key."
- Warren Pill |
Brooks' spending priorities are, in order: Human Resources, Educational
Programs, Maintenance, then Professional Learning and Works as equal.
In the HR area, TAs in the High Needs and Learning Support areas have
highest priority. There are no global budgets in Tasmanian schools,
with Teaching staff allocated as a Quota based on enrolment and ENI.
Accountability
There are mandated deliverables for all the funding sources. A more
data driven era is around the corner, which will require Brooks to
produce more detailed whole of school measures in particular.
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