Collier finally admits school budgets face razor

Education Minister Peter Collier has finally acknowledged publicly what principals, unions and the Opposition have been saying for weeks - the Government's changes to education funding will mean cuts to individual school budgets.

Mr Collier was quick to point to an overall increase in education funding of $300 million this financial year when schools said their funding would be cut next year.

But on Saturday at the Liberal Party's State conference, Mr Collier said the average school would lose 1.2 per cent of its budget.

He said WA public schools were the best resourced in Australia and teachers were the highest-paid, which he was proud of.

But with education spending having risen 55 per cent since the Government came to office, that money had to be spent "appropriately".

"Across the board, on average, schools lose about 1.2 per cent of their funding," he said.

"And most schools will lose half an EA (education assistant) or one day a week for an EA."

Premier Colin Barnett hailed the independent public schools program as a signature reform.

Mr Collier said 80 per cent of staff and students would be operating under IPS by 2015.