Cairns Catholic schools have echoed national and state concerns regarding the lack of clarity in the new Federal Government school funding plan.

Catholic Education Services Executive Director Bill Dixon said the sector had not been involved in meaningful consultation with the Commonwealth regarding the plan.

“Our bottom line is we want to make sure our schools remain affordable for our families against a background that the local economy is still not as strong as it could be and many of our families are struggling,” he said.

Mr Dixon said that while it was still too early to tell, he expected Far North Queensland Catholic schools to be less impacted than their capital city equivalents.

“And if there is genuine needs-based funding we would expect our schools to benefit as they are reflective of the socio-economic status of their local communities and the additional needs of many of our students,” he said.

“Our two needs are firstly, funding certainty going forward, and second, adequate funding to meet the realistic needs of our schools and their students – we hope the new plan will deliver both,” he said.