Gonski should be retreat focus: union

Premiers and chief ministers must focus on reversing a planned $30 billion cut to education at Wednesday's leaders retreat, the nation's education union believes.

The GST is expected to top the agenda at the meeting in Sydney, but the Australian Education Union wants Gonski funding to also feature heavily.

"The future of our schools and students is too important to be neglected," union boss Correna Haythorpe said.

She wants the states to push for the full six years of needs-based Gonski funding, which was part of Labor's Better Schools plan.

The coalition will only fund the generous plan for the first four years, boosting schools funding by the rate of inflation after that.

The union also wants the states to campaign against a proposal in the government's draft federation green paper to stop federal funding for public schools altogether.

Ms Haythorpe says if NSW Premier Mike Baird can commit to the full six years of Gonski funding, the federal government should also be able to.