Schools may have to prepare for growing bills, following the discontinuation of funding to learning aids announced earlier this year by Education Minister Martin Dixon.
Schools may have to make sacrifices to be able to afford ultranet coaches and literacy experts, who visit schools to help students in years 3 to 8 who have fallen behind in reading and writing. Meanwhile, ultranet coaches train teachers to use ultranet, an online portal which allows parents to track their children’s school progress and attendance.
In a memo to principals sent out by the Education Department, the funding model suggested that “schools would contribute $15 per student enrolment for 2012”. Education Department regional director, Ron Lake, said discussions with schools in the Loddon Mallee region had been positive and covered the possibility of retaining ultranet coaches and literacy specialists in 2012 if schools contributed to half the cost.
