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Following on from the other thread I started about voluntary contributions.....
Do you pay yours? Why or why not?
Do you think they are reasonable or are they set too high or too low?
Apparently only about 25%-30% of parents pay them (depending on what source you read) regardless of how affluent the area the school is in.
I remember a thread about this at the end of last year Onyx....
I always pay ours because I can afford it and primary schools are woefully underfunded.
I believe all parents should pay them if they are able. I do not believe that schools should bully parents into paying though, or deceive parents into thinking the payments are compulsory (Ive seen both things happen).
No voluntary fees here. I would pay them though if they had them, I would need the option though of paying when I could, so preferably not at the same time as the book list fee. I would much prefer to have a fee, rather than be hit with a lot of fundraising.
We get slugged with loads of fundraising too :lol:
We have voluntary contributions and fundraising. TBH I think that to a large extend the fundraising catches the shortfall in voluntary contributions.
I pay the voluntary contribution and help out with fundraising when it's not too onerous but it does make me kind of bitter that so many parents at our school seem to think that other parents should be subsidizing their children. I get that not everyone can afford voluntary contributions but I suspect that at our school there are only a few families that are genuinely unable to pay.
i don't blame you Onyx.
We pay, and most at our school do. Where we used to live no one ever paid.
My parents never paid. I went to an exclusive private school, who expected you to contribute on top of the already huge fees. They just said no way!
All schools I have had my kids in, both private and public, they just have it listed in the bills/account and I have just paid it. Its itemised with everything else and not separate.
mine was included in the book list
One of my stepsons is at a public school which include their voluntary contributions on their book list. My other stepson is at a private school (a specialised school for his needs) so his education already costs the world, lol. We stopped paying the voluntary fees a few years back when they were both at the same public school. The school was abysmal when it came to helping us with the issues surrounding DSS1. They were super quick to punish, and very slow to help. At the time we had just had a baby, were undergoing IVF treatments and expecting upcoming costs associated with another birth and baby, so finances were also pretty stretched. Even this year we have had major issues with the school in regards to DSS2. Seriously, when a child asks to speak to a counsellor, you damn well get on top of that straight away! A child must really want help if they have the guts to actually ask a teacher for it. He was having issues at school and at his mother's house and wanted to talk it over, and felt it wasn't right to talk to us about it, which is fair enough I think. The resources were available (psychologist on campus and available) and the teacher just didn't do anything about it until after DSS2 had asked three times and then DH gave her a rather stern phonecall... We've lost a lot of faith in the school and my desire to pay voluntary payments went with it. Looks like he's moving school next year...
Ours are listed as a separate line item on the account and this year for the first time their was a lengthy explanation about how it was voluntary and how it was used whereas normally it just said voluntary school building fund contribution. We still get heaps of fundraising which I am happy to say no to if it doesn't suit me. We are at a public primary school in Victoria.
I had always assumed everyone paid it but apparently not.
I don't really feel bitter about other people not paying but am a bit peeved that my dd's year has a take home net book program so you pay $300 year for 3 years for child to use NetBook in class and take home. A lot of parents did not agree to it so rather than abandoning it altogether school bought some netbooks for those children who did not join the program to use at school. So I feel peeved that the school is forced to spend money this way which could have been spent on other things. Some parents couldn't genuinely pay but others either didn't want to or didn't agree it was the right technology ( felt iPads more appropriate). I know some of these people are sending their kids to private school so should be able to find$300 a year.
I always pay ours - $70 max for a family per year. It would be pretty lousy not to pay at that rate!
Wow!!
That's so cheap Trill!!! Mine for one DD was over $300.
https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...ight=voluntary
this might help....
Wow from me :o I will try not to complain about fundraising again, it is nothing compared to that amount!:
I pay every year. Over $1K for two kids.
Every parent is expected to pay at my local primary school.
But it shows - we have the following teachers:
a) gifted and talented teacher full time
b) sport teacher full time
c) music teacher full time
d) counsellor three days a week
e) LOTE teacher full time
f) art teacher full time
g) librarian full time
h) non-teaching staff (principal, vice, four admin) always available
I) special Ed teacher three days a week.
We have these extra teachers because the school can afford it. They chase you up if you haven't paid by the end of February. There's no discount for extra children - it's the same per kid.
I don't mind paying because I know what the funding is used for. It's all transparent and printed out for parents each year. We also see where our fees go in terms of equipment etc.
Fundraising we have includes -
- entertainment books
- chocolate drive
- walkathon
- sausage sizzles
- Easter raffle
- Other raffle
- four free dress days
- two crazy hair days
- Footy day with pie lunch
- Soup lunch
- mothers day stall
- fathers day stall
- car boot sale
- mini fete
- school concert every second year
All of this stuff each and every year.
I agree that not all families can afford the contributions, which is why they are voluntary. However, I grew up in a smaller community and my parents (whilst not well off at the time, and by no means "school board" types) always contributed towards the school. That being said my mum would volunteer as she could for school events and supported us throughout our education. To me the school is only as strong as the community. If we don't support where our children go, we can't blame the system when our child is not supported.
My in laws only ever pay what they have to as far as school fees, they don't see why they should pay the extra... Then complain when their son doesn't get the help in class or his own text book... To me they make their own rod. They can afford it but choose not to. In turn the school can't afford to support their child.
But, like I mentioned before if you CANT afford it that's as different story :)
As a kid, my parents couldn't afford it. They would let the school have the entire EMA (not sure what that would be now) when it came in mid-year as the contribution we could give. In year 12 my school tried to blackmail them into paying school fees by not allowing me to have a school diary but then they told me that i could not use a non-school one - - also told me I was not allowed to buy tickets to my own valedictory dinner unless my school fees were paid. I ended up having to do voluntaryh work in the library to get my tix. Bt ridiculous if my parents could legitimately not afford it.
I intend to pay my kids' school fees but i agree an itemised list about what it goes towards and then an option to pay not straight away or in installments would be nice.
I don't feel the need to be given a full run down. I just assume it goes toward essential school stuff :dunno: The school has lots of extra programs for kids & parents, espeically for helping kids and families with extra needs. It may not be relevant to my kids, but I'm happy to help pay for it.
we're at a public school in a low socio-economic area. It was $35 for my son this year. I'm assuming it will be more when he's full time.
I always plan on paying, but I never think of it when I have the money :(
Honestly, this year I'm not sure I want to. I've never had to spend the amount of money I spent this year on supplies. Its only $90 for the 3 of mine, so not much, but I've heard here they go as far as threatening debt recovery? No experience with that yet.
We choose not to pay ours last year. Yep bad people here but after seeing what they had in their list of what the money went to we choose not to.
Now ours were $60 for kindy $70 for yr 1-4 and more again for years after that. On top of that they were also asking for the same for the p&c. Now this is why we choose not to. The school was a independant public school so we the parents ran the p&c we ran and completly funded the canteen to the point where us parents had to donate all food items and things to start the canteen up.
We were also asked to pay $1000per child at the school so they could get air con in the class rooms,they used the lil funding that got to air con the office and staff room.
Year 6s were also made to buy a apple mac yes thats right......it was on our book list. On top of this we also had to buy supplies for teachers,which was supposable what the vol fees were for. We supplied their pens markers ect. We broght all work books ect.
Theres much more but have gone blank now. It was alot and realy did add up. We also had fundraising every other week. A giant school production that we had to supple things for and then buy tickets to watch. I have no problem with fees for the most part but this was beyond a joke in fact most of the parents were mad there were huge fights at school meetings . wasnt good
pls excuse the spelling mistakes on my galaxcy
Well if people don't pay their voluntary fees they have to provide the supplies somehow so adding them to the book-list seems fair as does extra fundraising.:
Most teachers spend quite a lot through the year on supplies for their classroom :(
Thats the thing tho they wanted the fees plus all that and it just adds up its to much to be honest. That sort of money is a joke. Like i said we dont mind the fees but when its fees and more fees and then supplying the teacher and more more for air con and then an apple mac.......no thats just not right and familys can not afford that.
pls excuse the spelling mistakes on my galaxcy
When I was in year 12 we had to pay a higher fee rate. This was meant to cover staff to sit in exams (although over $200 extra per year 12 student would surely be a lot more than paying an extra staff member for a few exams as our school only offered about 10 VCE subjects...). Then our school decided that rather than spend extra money on staff we would have to travel to a different local school and sit our exams with them. Of course the two schools were sort of rival schools, so the atmosphere was less than inviting. Nice way to make your year 12 students feel relaxed and secure during their super important exams! I ended up demanding back the extra that I paid and they agreed to do it. It probably helped that earlier in the year a window had broken on my head and it was not the legally required safety glass. I ended up having to have a resultant cyst removed by a plastic surgeon. They were pretty happy that we didn't sue them so were probably more willing to give me the fee back, lol.:
I pay mine and the library fund - but I have one child at school and the fees aren't much to be honest. I think (from memory) the contribution was $75, the excursion/incursion fee was $85 and the library fund was $125 so $285 all up of which $125 is tax deductible. Seeing I pay $235 per week for 3 days of childcare it really is a drop in the ocean!
The class does so many excursions and so many amazing things for that money that I have no issue in paying it at all. The school has one big fundraiser and a few small ones throughout the year which I have no qualms supporting as they allow the school to provide so many additional activities and experiences for the kids.
DD is obviously not as school yet, but I will pay these contributions when she starts school. Not only do I know the benefits as I am a teacher, but compared to our current childcare costs, it will seem like paying next-to-nothing!
We pay all fees, I think we have a high % of parents that do (I think around 90%), our for this year were around $230.
Our annual fair raises between 23-30k a year too.
Most of our fees are compulsory (about $250 per child) but that includes the booklist and the rest is for excursions, incursions, etc. There is an additional building fund and an IT fund which are about another $80 per child and I don't pay as I literally can't afford it. Most people pay according to the school newsletter though. I'd like to say I will pay when the twins are in school but I suspect the money I will be saving in daycare fees will quickly be absorbed by dance, theatre and swimming lessons that I have not been able to send the kids to so far.
Yep :( At my school we have quite small class budgets and I have to spend a reasonable amount of my own money to buy things for my classroom....even things as simple as glue sticks (which seem to run out ridiculously quickly and are reasonably expensive when you have to buy numerous) so kids can stick their sheets in their books. These coming holidays for instance I need to go and buy more coloured pencils and art supplies for my class, most of which will come out of my own pocket :(: