Communities rally for school funding RALLIES are being planned around Australia to pressure state governments to sign up to Prime Minister Julia Gillard's school improvement plan. The "community rallies for Gonski" will be held on Saturday in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin and Perth. Sydney's rally has been badged a "celebration," following NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell's agreement with the federal government - the first state to do so. The O'Farrell government has indicated NSW schools will lose out on $5 billion over five years if the federal plans - recommended by consultant David Gonski - are scrapped. The NSW Liberal-National government has urged the federal coalition to reconsider its opposition to the new system. South Australia is widely expected to be the next cab off the rank, with unions lobbying Labor Premier Jay Weatherill to back the extra $600 million for schools in his state. The prime minister says her deal will deliver an extra $16.2 billion over six years to public and private schools. The federal opposition, which has yet to release its education policy ahead of the September 14 election, says Labor's plan will strip $300 million from schools. Ms Gillard says she understands that premiers and chief ministers need time to work through the detail, which is why the deadline is June 30. "I've set a deadline of June 30 and my expectation for the country is states and territories sign on and meet that deadline," Ms Gillard told reporters at Auburn West primary school in Sydney on Wednesday. Schools are entitled to know what funding position they are going to be in, in 2014. She was concerned Opposition Leader Tony Abbott was lobbying Liberal premiers not to sign funding agreements.