ACT 2023-24 budget funds 3-year-old preschool, new and expanded schools

The territory will spend $1.7 billion on education in the 2023-24 financial year. Education spending represents 23 per cent of the entire budget, the second largest area behind health.

The ACT government is planning to spend $114 million on a much-needed second Gungahlin College in Nicholls, which is expected to be finished by December 2027.

Three existing building projects have blown out by $85.7 million - the expansion of Garran Primary School, new Strathnairn Primary School and new North Gungahlin High School - due to increasing construction costs discovered through tendering processes.

Telopea Park School will get a $42.2 million permanent expansion, replacing some of the long-term demountable buildings to increase capacity by 500 places.

Planning for a new Molonglo Valley college will begin with $2 million allocated. Design and feasibility work will also start for Fraser Primary, Forrest Primary and North Ainslie Primary upgrades.

The Education Directorate will spend $2.2 million on demountable classrooms, also known as relocatable learning units, but hasn't finalised where they will be installed. The current Gungahlin College is expected to be on the list of campuses to receive the demountables.

A new team of inclusive education coaches will be phased in with $9.2 million investment as part of the ACT inclusive education strategy.

About $40 million over for years has been allocated to improve pay and working conditions of school staff amid the dire shortage of teachers.

The government will allocate $50 million over four years to allow 3-year-olds access one day per week of free early childhood education. The current workforce shortage in the sector is hampering the expansion of universal preschool.

The funding package also includes a survey of the territory's early childhood education workforce capacity and needs, a professional learning resource portal for educators and financial assistance for people studying an early childhood qualification.

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The budget does not include funding for a pilot small group tutoring program or any specific funding to boost the number of psychologists in schools as proposed by the Australian Education Union.

It also does not include any extra funding to assist public schools to implement the new version of the Australian Curriculum from 2024, which involves a significant change to the teaching of reading.

An Education Directorate spokesperson said the $962 million for public education was an increase of 2.95 per cent on the previous year and would allow for the full implementation of the Australian Curriculum in public schools.

The Commonwealth government's chaplaincy program will be transitioning to the national student wellbeing program. The change means that schools have the option to choose a qualified student wellbeing officer or a chaplain.

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