Council worked hard to discuss the priorities of ACT public school parents with as many candidates as possible before the election, so that candidates have been able to shape their education policies to meet the needs of our schools, students and parents.

Here's a round-up of the promises that we were able to secure for our schools.

What we were asking for

We were asking candidates to commit to the following (as discussed and decided at our General Meetings):

• Support for every student.  The new ACT Government must pressure for full Gonksi funding, ensure the recommendations of the Review into Students with Complex Needs and Challenging Behavior are fully implemented, fund a program to attract specialist teachers, fund interpreter services for schools and liaison officers at schools with many migrant families.
• Safe school roads.  Traffic congestion and student safety must be addressed by funding a trial of supervised school crossings, and immediate action taken to resolve traffic and parking issues at affected schools.
• Strong parent bodies.  Parties must commit to boosting volunteer skills and numbers in schools and provide administrative assistance to parent bodies running school services.
• Better facilities.  Our schools need greater investment in IT equipment and an accelerated program of school upgrades so that within two years all school buildings and facilities are at a high standard.
• Co-ordinated management.  Schools need stronger leadership from the Education Directorate, and better coordination between Directorates on all matters affecting schools and education.

Education Report Card to help voters decide

Council produced an Education Report Card, grading the major parties on their schools policies. This will help to guide voters on who will best position the ACT for the future by taking care of our public schools. Read the Media Release for more information.

(click for larger version). The card is also availlable as a PDF for printing.

Education Election Forum - parent Q&A

Our Election Forum was run on the evening of September 1

In the run-up to the election, Council held an Education Election Forum - a Q&A-style event where parents quizzed candidates about their approach and committment to public education.

Attending were Steve Doszpot, MLA (ACT Liberals), Yvette Berry MLA (ACT Labor) and Shane Rattenbury MLA (Greens).