Latest news with #educationfunding
BBC News
21 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Bridget Phillipson says Kent schools to 'absolutely' get funding
The education secretary has said schools in the South East will "absolutely" get the funding required for new buildings and Phillipson and the Chancellor Rachel Reeves paid a visit to a school in Kent on Thursday to announce an additional £20bn to expand the Schools Building Programme over the next the secretary of state did not identify which schools in the South East would be joining the expanded programme, saying: "We'll work through all of that process... we want to make sure we're identifying the schools that have the greatest need."Opposition politicians in the area accused her of not understanding the pressures on schools. Wrotham School, near Sevenoaks, was selected by the previous Conservative government to join the scheme in 2021, and work on the new buildings is due to finish in teachers say funding announced by the Labour government has secured the future of the whether she could guarantee schools in the region would be part of the new programme, she replied: "Absolutely, we'll make sure that the South East gets the funding that's required in order not just to rebuild schools, but also to put money into maintenance at the schools that are already there, but need extra support too." More than 500 schools are part of the existing Schools Building Programme. The government says the funding announced on Thursday will allow the re-build of a further 250 announcement is part of the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy, which sets out the government's long-term plan for economic, housing and social comes after last week's Spending Review, in which the chancellor was criticised by some South East politicians for "ignoring" the region. 'Deprivation and need' The deputy leader of East Sussex County Council, Nick Bennett, said: "I don't think she got lower than Milton Keynes."I'm not sure they've really got some of the pressures around deprivation and need around health and social issues that there is in [Sussex]."Responding to criticism the South East is being neglected, Phillipson said the government wanted to see "good, strong growth right across the country".She said she wanted to see "brilliant opportunities for our children and job opportunities being created"."That's why we'll make sure that there are great new schools being rebuilt in the South East and right across England," she added.
ABC News
a day ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Queensland government refuses to say when it'll release landmark school review
The Queensland government is refusing to say when it will release a two-year landmark review into teacher resourcing. The Comprehensive Review of School Resourcing, conducted from 2023, examined factors including funding, teacher shortages and workload, and staff and student welfare. It's expected to recommend a new resourcing model to manage the issues. The government is currently locked in pay negotiations with the Queensland Teachers Union (QTU), with its bargaining agreement due to expire in two weeks. On Wednesday afternoon, it offered a wage increase of 8 per cent over three years, short of what the union is seeking. The QTU has previously said a pay offer also needed to include a commitment to implement the outcomes of the review. Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the review was "being worked on" and would be "revealed in the relatively near future", but that wouldn't be before the wage agreement ended. "There are no sinister reasons for us not having had more public discussions about the school resourcing review. The enterprise bargaining agreement expires in 11 days," he said. The government received the report in December and state cabinet has not yet considered it. "It's the first review in over 30 years of school resourcing, so we had to work through it methodically and calmly," Mr Langbroek said. "It also needs to go to cabinet and we don't talk about what happens in cabinet." In a statement, the QTU said it was "appalled" by the government's refusal to release the review. It said it was using it to "strengthen its position ahead of enterprise bargaining negotiations". "Clearly, the decision to hide this report from public view is strategic and not in the interests of transparency and accountability, two key elements the premier campaigned on at the state election. "In simple terms, this government is hiding a detailed report to ignore the true issues because it doesn't fit its agenda." Opposition leader Steven Miles called on the state government to release the review. "Queensland parents want to know that their schools are properly resourced. Queensland teachers want to know that their government and their minister have their back. "I'd simply say to John-Paul Langbroek, what are you hiding here? Why are you afraid of this report?" In a letter, Department of Education Director-General Sharon Schimming offered teachers a 3 per cent pay increase next financial year and a 2.5 per cent increase for the following two years. "This offer also aims to create a replacement agreement that is easy to navigate, has a focus on employee entitlements, is clearer and more accessible for principals and senior leaders to understand their industrial obligations and supports greater workforce flexibility," she said. Prior to the pay offer being made, Mr Langbroek said "significant negotiations" had taken place. The QTU — boasting 48,000 members — has stated it would push for "nation-leading salaries and conditions". Teachers are the latest frontline workers the government needs to secure new bargaining agreements with. Pay negotiations with the Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union broke down last month, with the health workers taking industrial action for the first time since 2002. Agreements with police and firefighters also need to be brokered, totalling more than 260,000 public sector employees.
New York Times
13-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Good News for College Students: You May See a Dip in Student Loan Rates
There's one small bit of good news for college students heading to campus in the fall who are borrowing to fund their education: The rates on new federal loans will fall, though ever so slightly. The modest drop, announced by the federal Education Department on May 30, was the first in five years and translates into slightly less interest paid on money borrowed for college. Specifically, the rate on loans for undergraduate students fell to 6.39 percent from 6.53 percent this year. The rate applies both to loans that are based on financial need, known as subsidized loans, and to those that aren't. (With subsidized loans, students don't have to pay interest on the debt while they attend college.) On a loan of $5,500, the new rate would save a borrower just under $50 in interest over a standard 10-year repayment plan, according to an online student loan calculator. Rates on loans for graduate and professional students eased to 7.94 percent, from 8.08 percent, while rates on PLUS loans — extra financing available to graduate students and to parents of undergraduates — fell to 8.94 percent from 9.08 percent. The rates apply to student loans borrowed from July 1 through June 30 of next year. Despite the dip, rates remain higher than they were in the past, said Mark Kantrowitz, a financial-aid expert. Rates on undergraduate loans averaged 4.77 percent over the last 10 years, he said, and were as low as 2.75 percent during the 2020-21 school year. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Irish Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Schools told they cannot spent €9m phone pouch budget on other education needs
Secondary schools have been told by the Department of Education that funding for controversial smartphone pouches and other forms of phone storage must not be used for any other education needs. A €9 million plan to provide smartphone pouches to second-level schools, announced in last October's budget, sparked controversy at the time, with Opposition parties labelling the initiative 'wasteful' and 'unnecessary'. From today, all non-fee charging second-level schools can apply for up to €25 per student to purchase secure storage solutions for mobile phones during the school day, such as pouches or lock boxes. Any unused money must be ring-fenced in school accounts to fund replacement equipment in future and may not be used for other purposes. Records of expenditure must be maintained and available for audit, if required. READ MORE Paul Crone, director of the National Association of Principals and Deputies , said school leaders would prefer if this level of funding was made available for more pressing educational needs. 'I'm aware that schools who have pouches are very happy with them, but a simple ban doesn't take into account the different contexts and needs for schools, and this money would be better spent elsewhere,' he said. The move is part of a wider drive to restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day and tackle concerns over student wellbeing, distraction during class time, cyberbullying and decreased social interaction at break times. [ Smartphone bans in isolation fail to equip children for healthy use of tech, say experts Opens in new window ] In updated guidance issued to schools, Minister for Education Helen McEntee has confirmed that post-primary schools must implement a policy to restrict mobile phone use during the school day. 'First and foremost, this policy is about ensuring that our schools are phone-free learning environments. Students should not be on their phones during the school day; this guidance and support will ensure all schools have the supports they need to achieve this, having regard to their own requirements,' she said. 'Having engaged with many different school communities across the country, I am confident that this policy will support student wellbeing, engagement and their interaction with their peers, while also recognising the experience and expertise of school communities and the need for consultation.' Latest research , however, indicates that banning phones in schools is not linked to pupils getting higher grades or having better mental health. Academics say a more comprehensive approach to reducing overall phone and social media use in adolescents needs to be explored, addressing both in-school and out-of-school use. Social Democrats education spokeswoman Jen Cummins said the reality for schools is that many are so cash-strapped that they are 'struggling to keep the lights on'. 'A new survey has revealed that a record number have had to apply to the department for emergency funding,' she said. 'In that context, it is completely tone deaf for the Government to insist that €9 million should go on phone storage." Ms McEntee, meanwhile, said schools, in consultation with parents, students and others, will be asked to develop their own policies on how to implement their bans on phones Schools have been told to adopt a consistent approach for the full school day, with limited exemptions allowed for medical or compassionate grounds.
Telegraph
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
How Trump plans to punish Newsom
The Trump administration is considering cutting California's federal education funding, as a tit-for-tat battle with Gavin Newsom, the state's governor, reaches boiling point. Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested Mr Newsom should be arrested for his 'bad job' in handling a wave of anti-deportation protests, which erupted on Friday in response to immigration raids. It comes as Mr Newsom on Tuesday accused Mr Trump of a 'brazen abuse of power' when he deployed thousands of National Guard troops and 700 US marines in Los Angeles to quell the protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. The state is suing the president for sending in troops without Mr Newsom's approval, marking the first time since civil rights protests in 1965 that a president sent the National Guard to deal with civil unrest without cooperation from the state's governor. Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, said the administration is 'committed to ending this nightmare and restoring the California Dream'. He added: 'No final decisions, however, on any potential future action by the administration have been made.' In the wake of the row, White House officials may stop the education department's disbursement of 'formula funds' to California, Politico reported. The state receives $8 billion a year from the education department. Some of the payouts are used towards programs for students with disabilities and from low-income homes. Mr Trump's vow to cut funding to the country's most populous state began before his latest clash with Mr Newsom and his dispatch of Marines and the National Guard. He has already cut $126.4 million in flood prevention projects, and threatened to dilute California's tough vehicle emissions standards. Last month, he said he would halt federal funding after a transgender athlete took part in a sporting event. Student visa pause will impact California His pause to visas for students from China would also have an outsized impact on California as it enrols more foreign students than any other state. As the state was ravaged by a series of wildfires in January, Mr Trump directly blamed Mr Newsom for LA's struggling water supply, and threatened to bar California from accepting federal disaster funds unless they changed water policies. Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Trump described the LA protesters as 'a foreign enemy' and vowed to 'liberate' Los Angeles. A curfew has been enforced between 8pm to 6am in the downtown area of central Los Angeles, in what officials say is necessary to stop vandalism and looting. Mr Newsom has urged demonstrators – who have been protesting ICE raids since Friday – to remain peaceful and said Mr Trump's actions were fulfilling 'the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president' .
