Member for Maroochydore Fiona Simpson congratulated Maroochydore State High School on being named among 50 Queensland state schools to become Independent Public Schools next year.
Maroochydore State High School was selected from more than 80 expressions of interest state wide and would become one of 130 total Independent Public Schools in Queensland next year.
Ms Simpson said the decision will give the school community a greater say in how the school is run and more freedom to make decisions to directly benefit their students.
“Parents, teachers and community members will now be able to shape the school’s direction and ensure our students have opportunities to achieve better results and increase their job prospects,” she said.
“Maroochydore High School will all receive an additional $50,000 to assist with the change and an extra $50,000 in funding each year for administrative purposes.”
Ms Simpson said the Independent Public School initiative was one of the many ways the Queensland Government was reducing red tape and allowing local decision making in order to boost the education outcomes of students.
“Our local schools are already enjoying a great deal of autonomy and a number of new measures have been announced recently to further reduce the administrative burden for all state schools,” she said.
“The Queensland Government has already exceeded our target of 120 Independent Public Schools by 2016 and we’ve now decided to extend our target to 250 Independent Public Schools by 2017.”
“This is all part of our strong plan for a brighter future for Queensland’s education system, because we know that a strong education means jobs for our kids.”
