NSW Gonski backing puts Premier Campbell Newman in a corner on education reform PREMIER Campbell Newman will write to Prime Minister Julia Gillard within weeks in a bid to secure a deal on school funding after NSW backed the national plan yesterday. Mr Newman is under renewed pressure to follow NSW's lead and sign up to the Federal Government's proposed overhaul but yesterday his Government held firm. He also faces calls to sign up to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which the Liberal-led NSW Government has already backed. Mr Newman accused Ms Gillard of refusing to negotiate over the school funding deal at last week's Council of Australian Governments. He is now working on his own offer to put to Ms Gillard before her June 30 deadline, however he is yet to confirm whether the state will chip in the full $1.3 billion needed. "What Cabinet has agreed is that we will write back to the PM with our offer of participation," Mr Newman told The Courier-Mail. This Government does want to reach an agreement and the conditions we've got will be reasonable and sensible. The Liberal-led NSW Government's school funding deal gives the Prime Minister a boost in negotiations with Queensland and other states. It will also make it harder for a future federal Coalition government to wind back the changes because it could spark a funding war with NSW and any other states that sign up. Ms Gillard said the "historic" deal with NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell would encourage other states to follow suit. "What Premier O'Farrell's agreement today demonstrates is that this deal is in the best interests of NSW, and it is also setting a benchmark for other states to meet," she said. Under the deal, Mr O'Farrell has agreed to stump up $1.7 billion in return for a $3.3 billion commitment from Ms Gillard for school funding. After NSW, Queensland and Victoria stand to gain the largest boosts to school funding under the national plan. Ms Gillard has asked Queensland to contribute about $1.3 billion over the next six years with the Commonwealth to chip in about $2.5 billion for the state's schools. The Federal Government's most senior representative from Queensland, Wayne Swan, yesterday launched an attack on Mr Newman, saying the state's schools could be "second rate to NSW's." "If it's good enough for NSW kids, why do Queensland kids deserve to miss out?" he said.