The South Australian 2011-12 operating budget for education will increase from $2.53 billion last financial year to $2.66 billion in this year’s State Budget, with $9.5 million over four years to support the establishment of an independent authority to implement new national early childhood education quality standards, which take effect next year.

 

The Budget will expand the Government’s Children’s Centres program which provides preschool and other health and parenting services at primary schools,  with an allocation of $14.4 million to relocate stand-alone preschools to new facilities at primary schools.

 

Support for schools will also be boosted with $16.6 million over five years for schools to assist with increasing electricity costs.

 

Existing resources of $7.8 million will be provided for a new computing network that will provide a staff and student portal, a managed email service, managed web access, personal storage space and school directories.

 

The education budget will provide $41.3 million in 2011-12 (including some carryover of funding from 2010-11) for disadvantaged schools as part of the Commonwealth’s $147.5 million Low Socioeconomic Status schools initiative to 2014-15.  This initiative includes incentives to keep vulnerable students at school, provide learning tailored to individual students’ needs and attract teachers and principals to disadvantaged schools.