THE Campbelltown principal leading the campaign for better resources for disabled students believes a bungled response by the NSW Education Minister's office last week was an attempt to discredit her.
Sarah Redfern Public School principal Cheryl McBride said a response from Education Minister Verity Firth's office that put the onus for provision of special needs funding on principals, not on the department was misleading.
``They've provided a smokescreen to the media on an issue that is critical,'' said Mrs McBride, who is also chair of the Public Schools Principals Forum (PSPF).
``And possibly to discredit me as a person who is speaking out.''
A war of ``he said, she said'' broke out this week between ministerial staffers, the media and the PSPF, which has made several embarrassing revelations in recent weeks about the Education Department in its call for improved resources for the disabled students.
The Advertiser has still been unable to ascertain whether the Department of Education will keep on paying for learning assistance for John McKee, 5, of Sarah Redfern Public School.
It was the funding for John that sparked the controversy.
John's case was only one of many chosen by the PSPF to highlight problems with the state's special needs funding formula.
His dyspraxia is so severe that he can barely speak a word, but this speech impediment doesn't easily fit into the department's funding model.
When his early intervention funding ends this year, so will his 18 minutes a day of learning assistance an amount in itself described as ``ineffective'' by the PSPF.
PSPF deputy chair Brian Chudleigh told the Advertiser last week that after John's situation was aired statewide, the minister's spokeswoman who is no longer in the position told Mr Chudleigh's source that John would be assessed and the situation looked into ``to ensure that he gets the support he needs''.
But when the Advertiser contacted the minister's office for confirmation, the official line put the onus back on Mrs McBride.
Education Minister Verity Firth said: ``I am pleased to hear that the principal of Sarah Redfern Primary School has now allocated funding to support John McKee.
``Last week the minister asked the department to contact the principal about this case and to investigate the child's learning needs and if additional support should be provided. It is important to emphasise that the school principal decides how allocated resources are used within a school to meet the learning needs of students.''
Principals are responsible for spending the funds, but it is the department that decides how much they will receive. Mrs McBride denied telling the minister's office that the school would pay for learning assistance for John.
``I have no funding to allocate to the boy and that's the crux of the argument,'' she told the Advertiser. ``It's not just John, it's other kids as well. John highlights the issue ... I had that little boy looked at by every department specialist and he falls into no category under current indicators, and he and a large number of children will receive nothing next year because of that.''
When asked if the minister had attempted to mislead the media with the comment, the minister's spokesman said: ``There has been no attempt by our office to mislead anyone on this issue. Comments were based on initial anecdotal reports, including some from the Advertiser, that the principal of Sarah Redfern Primary School had allocated funding to support John McKee.
``The minister has asked the department to contact the principal about this case.''
Mr Chudleigh said the minister's office had ``a hide to infer the school can just pull out funds'' for John.
``If Cheryl were to reconfigure the allocations, some other child would miss out,'' he said. ``She's an experienced principal who has a Diploma in Special Education and worked in special education for years. She has allocated resources appropriately.''
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