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> The schools close usually from lack of kids not lack of funds. Australia has much more of a private schooling culture than the US. About 36% of Australian ch

> The schools close usually from lack of kids not lack of funds. Australia has much more of a private schooling culture than the US. About 36% of Australian children go to private schools, compared to only about 9% in the US. And slightly over 50% of Australia's private schools are Catholic. So Catholic schools closing from "lack of kids", I wouldn't say it never happens in Australia, but certainly a lot less common than in the US. Decline in Catholic religious affiliation doesn’t necessarily lead to school closure, because many Australian Catholic schools enrol large numbers of non-Catholics I suspect funding is a big part of this-if the US introduced widespread school vouchers, the private percentage would likely creep up. But Australia has had publicly funded private schools for over 50 years now, so even with school vouchers, it could take decades for private schooling in the US to reach Australian percentages

bombcar 3y ago
Vouchers would certainly raise the percentage in the US, but it would take quite a long time to get to 36% or even 18% - that's a lot of schools that would have to be reopened or rebuilt, and teachers found or trained. The lack of kids is often because the school is in an older part of town, which has become "newly wed or nearly dead" and they don't have enough people willing to drive long distances to use the school. Others are rural in areas that are just depopulated now.
- skissane 3y ago
  > The lack of kids is often because the school is in an older part of town This happens less in Australia, because Australia has rather different population dynamics from the US. Significant population decline in inland rural areas, especially in smaller towns, which leads to school closures (for public schools too)–something also happening in some parts of the US But, the problem the US has with decaying urban areas (e.g. Detroit) just doesn't happen in contemporary Australia. Most of the population lives in a handful of big metro areas, which just keep on booming, due to runaway property prices, and absorbing a constant stream of immigrants (on a per capita basis, Australia's official immigration rate is almost twice that of the US.) Also, local government is a lot weaker, urban planning is controlled by the state governments, and they just won't let that kind of urban blight happen on their watch
ggm 3y ago
Australian faith based schools cover all faiths, not just Christian ones. Where a madrassa isn't established some Islamic kids go to catholic schools out of parental choice, their monotheism is at least partially respected. State schools are meant to be mostly agnostic/athiest except they can run R.E. classes but local staff can (and do) proselytise, and State authorities do little about it. R.E. classes are a factionalism nightmare and ecumenical teaching is scant. Satanists don't get much lookin. Laws are in draft to try and settle a decades old battle around equal opportunity and human rights, teachers who are gay, students who are gay, to what extent a religious school can enforce belief and behaviour in staff and pupils and its a fiery debate. There have been horrific historical and recent abuse issues in faith schooling here, bound up in state interventions for single mothers, Aboriginal displacement, reliance on nuns and monks, establishment refusal to confront abusive behaviour. A notorious instance was a Jewish school head who groomed students, got found out, absconded to Israel and was defended by politically astute religious to avoid extradition for years. She did finally get done. Anglican and catholic schools have also had significant problems.
- skissane 3y ago
  > Australian faith based schools cover all faiths, not just Christian ones. Where a madrassa isn't established some Islamic kids go to catholic schools out of parental choice, their monotheism is at least partially respected. I know there are Jewish and Muslim schools in big cities like Sydney and Melbourne, but not where I live. Where I live, your private schooling choices are basically Catholic, Anglican, Adventist, a couple of variations on non-denom Protestant, "vaguely Christian but super-expensive school for the upper class", Steiner, and some (mostly small) secular schools which focus on children with different needs (autism, disability, "just not fitting-in in a mainstream environment", etc) My Catholic high school had lots of Protestants, and also a Jewish girl. I know the Catholic school we send our kids to has at least a couple of Muslim families. But, for Jews and Muslims, I think that is only really an option for some of the relatively secular or moderate; I expect many of the more strict would not agree to sending their kids to a school where their children are exposed (even just passively) to Christian prayer and religious services. Whereas, state schools, there is significantly less of that passive exposure (even if it isn't always possible to opt out of it 100%) The Catholic schools have an "arrangement" with the Eastern Orthodox Church, according to which they officially give preference to Orthodox kids, after Catholics, but before Protestants and non-Christians. (I'm not sure if the arrangement is mutual, but there are so few Orthodox schools, that question only has practical relevance to a small minority.) > State schools are meant to be mostly agnostic/athiest except they can run R.E. classes but local staff can (and do) proselytise, and State authorities do little about it. There is a historical reason for this. At least in New South Wales (and I believe other states too), the public school system started through a deal between the colonial government and the major Protestant churches – the Protestant churches handed over their schools to the government, in exchange the churches would retain the right to do religious education in them. Although the deal was made almost 150 years ago, the churches involved insist the government stick to it. (It isn't legally binding, so the government could legally break it if they wanted, but politically they aren't going there.) > A notorious instance was a Jewish school head who groomed students, got found out, absconded to Israel and was defended by politically astute religious to avoid extradition for years. A lot of that was due to a belief in Orthodox Judaism that it is a sin to take Jewish community issues to non-Jewish courts – I think most Orthodox Jews do not think that rule should apply nowadays, at least not to serious crimes, but this school was ultra-Orthodox/Haredi, a community in which some still seem to think it should. I don't think that specific issue is really applicable more broadly, since even though you'll read some rather similar stuff in the New Testament, mainstream Christian churches have long chosen to ignore it.

bombcar 3y ago

Vouchers would certainly raise the percentage in the US, but it would take quite a long time to get to 36% or even 18% - that's a lot of schools that would have to be reopened or rebuilt, and teachers found or trained. The lack of kids is often because the school is in an older part of town, which has become "newly wed or nearly dead" and they don't have enough people willing to drive long distances to use the school. Others are rural in areas that are just depopulated now.

skissane 3y ago
> The lack of kids is often because the school is in an older part of town This happens less in Australia, because Australia has rather different population dynamics from the US. Significant population decline in inland rural areas, especially in smaller towns, which leads to school closures (for public schools too)–something also happening in some parts of the US But, the problem the US has with decaying urban areas (e.g. Detroit) just doesn't happen in contemporary Australia. Most of the population lives in a handful of big metro areas, which just keep on booming, due to runaway property prices, and absorbing a constant stream of immigrants (on a per capita basis, Australia's official immigration rate is almost twice that of the US.) Also, local government is a lot weaker, urban planning is controlled by the state governments, and they just won't let that kind of urban blight happen on their watch

ggm 3y ago

Australian faith based schools cover all faiths, not just Christian ones. Where a madrassa isn't established some Islamic kids go to catholic schools out of parental choice, their monotheism is at least partially respected. State schools are meant to be mostly agnostic/athiest except they can run R.E. classes but local staff can (and do) proselytise, and State authorities do little about it. R.E. classes are a factionalism nightmare and ecumenical teaching is scant. Satanists don't get much lookin. Laws are in draft to try and settle a decades old battle around equal opportunity and human rights, teachers who are gay, students who are gay, to what extent a religious school can enforce belief and behaviour in staff and pupils and its a fiery debate. There have been horrific historical and recent abuse issues in faith schooling here, bound up in state interventions for single mothers, Aboriginal displacement, reliance on nuns and monks, establishment refusal to confront abusive behaviour. A notorious instance was a Jewish school head who groomed students, got found out, absconded to Israel and was defended by politically astute religious to avoid extradition for years. She did finally get done. Anglican and catholic schools have also had significant problems.

skissane 3y ago
> Australian faith based schools cover all faiths, not just Christian ones. Where a madrassa isn't established some Islamic kids go to catholic schools out of parental choice, their monotheism is at least partially respected. I know there are Jewish and Muslim schools in big cities like Sydney and Melbourne, but not where I live. Where I live, your private schooling choices are basically Catholic, Anglican, Adventist, a couple of variations on non-denom Protestant, "vaguely Christian but super-expensive school for the upper class", Steiner, and some (mostly small) secular schools which focus on children with different needs (autism, disability, "just not fitting-in in a mainstream environment", etc) My Catholic high school had lots of Protestants, and also a Jewish girl. I know the Catholic school we send our kids to has at least a couple of Muslim families. But, for Jews and Muslims, I think that is only really an option for some of the relatively secular or moderate; I expect many of the more strict would not agree to sending their kids to a school where their children are exposed (even just passively) to Christian prayer and religious services. Whereas, state schools, there is significantly less of that passive exposure (even if it isn't always possible to opt out of it 100%) The Catholic schools have an "arrangement" with the Eastern Orthodox Church, according to which they officially give preference to Orthodox kids, after Catholics, but before Protestants and non-Christians. (I'm not sure if the arrangement is mutual, but there are so few Orthodox schools, that question only has practical relevance to a small minority.) > State schools are meant to be mostly agnostic/athiest except they can run R.E. classes but local staff can (and do) proselytise, and State authorities do little about it. There is a historical reason for this. At least in New South Wales (and I believe other states too), the public school system started through a deal between the colonial government and the major Protestant churches – the Protestant churches handed over their schools to the government, in exchange the churches would retain the right to do religious education in them. Although the deal was made almost 150 years ago, the churches involved insist the government stick to it. (It isn't legally binding, so the government could legally break it if they wanted, but politically they aren't going there.) > A notorious instance was a Jewish school head who groomed students, got found out, absconded to Israel and was defended by politically astute religious to avoid extradition for years. A lot of that was due to a belief in Orthodox Judaism that it is a sin to take Jewish community issues to non-Jewish courts – I think most Orthodox Jews do not think that rule should apply nowadays, at least not to serious crimes, but this school was ultra-Orthodox/Haredi, a community in which some still seem to think it should. I don't think that specific issue is really applicable more broadly, since even though you'll read some rather similar stuff in the New Testament, mainstream Christian churches have long chosen to ignore it.