Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs The process to reach the deal had been difficult, Carroll said on Friday.Loading“It’s been tortuous, it’s been tough, it’s been hard going, but here we are today, and it’s all been worth it … to get that 5 per cent,” he said.The funding will roll out from 2026, according to the state government.Albanese said earlier that the announcement was about making sure every child in government schools received the support they needed.“Today is about a principle that has driven me my whole life: no one held back, and no one left behind. Making sure that every child in government schools gets the support they need to thrive,” Albanese said.“This agreement is not about dividing up the same amount of dollars in a different way. Instead, both levels of government are stepping up our commitment to schools over the decade.“Importantly, this new agreement means accounting practices – like capital depreciation – can no longer be counted as education investment. Instead, every dollar of funding will go into helping children learn.“This will mean more money than ever for public schools, but it’s not a blank cheque. Our new funding is for real reform, and it will deliver real results.”The new funding is tied to a series of initiatives in Victorian state schools, such as a phonics checks for year 1 students. Victorian students will also undergo early numeracy checks. The package will also cover initiatives to improve the attraction and retention of teachers.LoadingThe additional funding comes with new targets, including increasing the proportion of students leaving school with a year 12 certificate by 2030, and boosting the proportion of students in the “strong” and “exceeding” proficiency for reading and numeracy by 10 per cent.Victoria’s opposition education spokeswoman, Jess Wilson, said the agreement was a “de facto bailout” of the Allan Labor government.“If Premier Allan and Minister Carroll had simply funded their share of our public schools, this funding issue never would have occurred, and Victorian students would not have been left short-changed for so long, resulting in declining learning outcomes,” she said.She said it was no surprise the Labor government had to rely on the Commonwealth to fully fund Victorian schools.“It remains to be seen how the Education Minister intends to keep to the funding agreement, which requires Victorian schools to adopt evidence-based instruction and phonics when his own Labor-aligned union has instructed teachers to ignore efforts to teach best practice in Victorian schools,” she said.The Australian Education Union’s Victorian branch welcomed the funding deal.“The commitment to increase funding means it will be easier to attract and retain school staff and better address teacher shortages, as well as help tackle excessive school staff workloads,” it said.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
