2014: The year of belt-tightening for WA schools NO VOICE: Despite protests from United Voice teachers and members (pictured above) schools will have to find ways to deal with funding cuts, says the Education Department director-general. WA SCHOOLS are facing their first ever year of belt-tightening in 2014 and will have to find ways to deal with funding cuts, the Education Department director-general has told a parliamentary committee. Sharyn O'Neill came under fire today for using "weasel words" at the Education and Health Standing Committee hearing into her department's budget, as committee members queried whether she was in contempt of parliament for not revealing at the last hearing in June that a long-service leave levy was being considered. The levy, which will see schools pay $600 per teacher and $400 per school support staff to help cover the cost of leave liability, is part of a raft of education cuts introduced in the transition to a new public school funding model for 2015. The cuts also include a 30 per cent slash in funding for support programs, a stay on teacher numbers next year, and the loss of 500 jobs. At the hearing today, Ms O'Neill said the levy was expected to bring in $15 million a year, but would only make a dent on the cost of the leave liability, which she put at about $60 million, meaning further savings would need to be found. Committee member and Labor MP Janine Freeman quizzed Ms O'Neill on why she had not told the committee about the levy at a time when she knew it was under discussion, suggesting she was "not totally open with the committee" and may be in contempt of parliament. Ms O'Neill said she had answered all questions and felt it was unreasonable to suggest anyone was misled. Outside the hearing, Liberal MP and parliamentary chair Dr Graham Jacobs said the committee would decide at their next meeting whether to ask further questions or pursue the alleged contempt. "There is a concern that we had weasel words, if you like," Dr Jacobs said. We will deliberate as a committee next when we come back to Parliament as to whether we go further with some of the questions. What we have to do today and in subsequent days in this committee is to establish a confidence in the Department of Education and the way they are managing so-called reform. Ms O'Neill told reporters outside the hearing she had answered every question at the last committee meeting. "I think I've been open, I've answered the questions I've been asked," she said. We've always known since mid-2012 that there is a leave liability. We're looked at a range of strategies. We're always trying to minimise the impact on schools and so were in a discussion about a range of things. The director-general said 2014 would be a tough year for public schools. "In 2014, schools are going to have to find a way to do things a little differently," she said. We have had efficiency dividends put in place before, and on every other occasion we haven't had to have any impact in fact on schools. This year we're asking for a contribution towards leave liability. Opposition education spokeswoman Sue Ellery said Ms O'Neill had "laid bare the lie from the (education) minister and the Premier that this is all about reform." "I know from talking to schools across Western Australia that schools are shocked by the extent of the cuts, they're shocked that they're the ones being asked to take money out of the education of West Australian children," she said. Ms O'Neill has made it very clear that 2014 is about school budget cuts. The department will be forced to implement further cuts to cover staff leave liability.