The principal of Sydney Boys High School has put two building projects on hold.Credit:Janie Barrett
The vanishing money comes after teachers were awarded $10,000 pay rises last October while negotiations continue between the states and the Commonwealth over billions of extra dollars in a new 10-year school funding agreement.
Sydney Boys High principal Kim Jaggar apologised to parents when he told them planned works had been put on hold.
“The department has withdrawn funds for both the Table Tennis Project and the Grounds Upgrade – asphalting of additional parking spaces. I am not in a position to know when these projects will get approved to go ahead,” he said.
School leaders were last month ordered to find 1.25 per cent in budget savings at their school and were told unspent funding accumulated over years would be frozen.
NSW Secondary Principals’ Council president Craig Petersen said the money disappeared from principals’ finance dashboard last week without any communication.
“It is causing a lot of angst. We know our public schools are not adequately funded,but now we’ve just had a funding cut,” Petersen said.
Principals were told in 2021 by then-education minister Sarah Mitchell they needed to spend any accumulated money,so funds were used on the students they were intended for. They were given until 2025 to spend the previously accumulated cash.