A MUSWELLBROOK mother is appalled by the government’s intention to withdraw unspent disability funding from public schools.
Tracey Pemberton was outraged to learn public schools across the Hunter would lose thousands of dollars previously received under the Funding Support (Students with Disabilities) program.
Tracey’s son Liam has a very rare disability called Kabuki syndrome, a developmental delay disability he has had since birth.
Eight-year-old Liam attends Muswellbrook South Public School where he is a student in the Special Education unit.
The funds in question are usually added to the next year’s allocation; however the decision would result in Upper Hunter schools having less money to educate disabled students and children with special needs.
Although Muswellbrook South Public School is not among the schools identified to lose funds, Ms Pemberton said considering there was not enough government support for students with a disability she was amazed tthe government would take something else away.
“Their education should be a priority, in every aspect, the education and the social aspect,” Ms Pemberton said.
“These kids have to work harder to get to where they have to get.
“I’m appalled, especially when they can spend so much on the opera house, these are children.
“What else are they going to take away from these children?” she asked.
“Will this affect aid time for the mainstream disability children?”
“The government needs to realise how this will affect the children,” Ms Pemberton said.
Member for Upper Hunter George Souris last week demanded the Rees Government give the schools back their funding, the $12 million unspent funds given to schools under the Funding Support Program.
Mr Souris said cutting $12 million from kids with disabilities was a despicable act by an out-of-touch government, and amounted to a reduction of $204,017 for the electorate.
“The Rees Government is willing to spend $1 billion to improve acoustics at the Opera House, but will let kids with disabilities in our public schools go without.
“This just reinforces to people in NSW what they already know, and that is, that the current government in NSW is not only financially inept but morally bankrupt as well,” he said.
Hunter Central Coast Department of Education and Training School Education director Ian Anderson said historically schools have had a certain amount of funding allocated depending on the nature and needs of the children to be spent in the year.
He said that most schools had not been returning their unspent funds as required and this year they would have to.
“Some schools have carried over $20,000 to $30,000, so some year’s kids have missed out,” Mr Anderson said.
“From the department’s perspective, funds haven’t been slashed but have been asked to be returned if not used,” he said.
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