Strategic Programs
Active From: January 2012
Overview
Strategic Programs (SP) is a newly created funding component made up of the following items:
COAG National Partnership Projects
- Low SES School Communities
- Literacy and Numeracy
- Improving Teacher Quality
State
- School Improvement Model
- Wannik Tutorial Program
- Primary Mathematics Specialists
- Extended School Hubs
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
- DEEWR Literacy and Numeracy Pilot
Funding
Strategic Programs (SP) funding will be displayed and treated separately from the Student Resource Package. However, it will be displayed using the current SRP systems and conventions. SP funding will be allocated as credit funding on a calendar year basis and will include all salary on-costs. SP funding will not contribute to the Principal Classification Budget.
Expenditure
Salaries expenditure on central payroll for each SP will be tracked through new ‘Bin’ codes in the SRP expenditure system and linked to unique project numbers and accounts that have been set up in eduPay. These unique codes are used for identifying each project against which staff are being employed and are listed below with the project codes:
| Project | Project Code |
|---|---|
| Low SES School Communities | 152601 |
| Literacy and Numeracy | 152603 |
| Improving Teacher Quality | 152602 |
| School Improvement Model | 152605 |
| DEEWR Literacy and Numeracy Pilot | 152604 |
| Wannick Tutorial Program | 152606 |
| Primary Mathematics Specialists | 152607 |
| Extended School Hubs | 152608 |
To ensure staff are charged against the appropriate program it will be necessary for the online Salary Mischarging Amendment Form (SMAF) to be completed. Select the appropriate SP under the “Budget Charge Out Item” drop down box within the SMAF system.
Staff are recorded against these SP Bin codes in all relevant reports, including:
- Budget Management
- Salary Fortnightly Transaction
- Employee Charging History
Oncosts
Strategic Programs Salary Oncosts are calculated as a single line which can be seen on your Budget Management Report. When budgeting to hire staff against a Strategic Program, it is important to factor in these Oncosts.
Oncosts for Strategic Programs are calculated at 19.4% in 2012.
The Oncosts figure is based on actual Salary Expenditure, as such it may vary throughout the course of the year based on your projected expenditure against the strategic program. The Oncosts line is made up of the following components:
- Superannuation
- Payroll Tax
- Long Term Sick Leave Premium
- Workcover
- Fringe Benefit Tax
- Long Service Leave
Treatment of Deficit / Surplus
As indicated previously, SP's will be quarantined from the SRP - SP deficits & surpluses will be treated separately from the SRP. SP surpluses or deficits will be individual to a given Strategic Program, and will carry forward accordingly.
For more information regarding the handling of Strategic Program Surplus / Deficit, please refer to the SRP Annual Reconciliation.
Strategic Program surplus:
- A SP surplus will not be used to pay for a SRP deficit.
- A SRP deficit will not be used to offset a SP surplus.
- End of year SP surpluses can be rolled over to the new year regardless of the SRP position.
- At the end of the program, surpluses may be rolled over to the following year on the advice of the regional director.
Strategic Program deficit:
- End of year SP deficits can be rolled over to the new year regardless of the SRP position, provided there are new SP funds in the following year otherwise normal deficit management procedures apply.
- A SP deficit will not be used to erode a SRP surplus, except;
- At the end of the program, deficits will be treated in the same manner as SRP deficits.
SPs will not be recognised as contributing to WFB circumstances either during or at the completion of SP projects.
Credit / Cash Transfers
While allocations will be in the form of credit initially, there is the capacity to request a Credit / Cash Transfers (CCT). Requests for CCT transfers will be subject to approval by the Regional Director and the Deputy Secretary, Office for Government School Education. Payments will be included in the normal Quarterly Cash Grant payments at the start of each term.
Any change to the allocation of funds as credit in future years will require approval from the Deputy Secretary, Office for Government School Education.
Unique SP sub-program codes have been created in CASES21 Finance to track cash expenditure once CCTs hit schools’ bank accounts. The following new sub-programs have been set up in CASES21 to record revenue and expenditure:
| Code | CASES21 Sub-Program |
|---|---|
| 9611 | National Partnership Program Low SES |
| 9612 | National Partnership Program Teacher Quality |
| 9613 | National Partnership Program Literacy & Numeracy |
| 9614 | DEEWR Literacy & Numeracy Pilot |
| 9615 | School Improvement Model |
| 9616 | Primary Maths Specialists |
| 9617 | Extended School Hubs |
| 9618 | Wannik Tutorial Program |
Reporting
SP reports for individual schools will be accessible through the normal SRP system login. The standard suite of reports will include information on each individual SP item.