School donations
 

We're hoping to move to the Gold Coast/Brisbane and just wondered, if like New Zealand, you pay school 'donations'. If no-one is familiar with it, you're 'asked' to pay the donation and can refuse but then your child starts to do really crap at school - so there really isn't a choice in the matter, pay up or put up :(

Anyway,eldest will be in high school/college and I'll have 2 more in primary school. Is it going to be very expensive? I know I'm going to take a hit on uniforms, we do here but and accept that - it's the 'donations' that really bother me.

Thanks x

Re: School donations
 

We are 'asked' to pay a $500 'building and library' donation each year, which they are keen to tell us is tax deductible. Haven't paid it yet (in 3 years) and don't see any signs of 'manipulated' results coming through. We know other parents who haven't paid it either, and again, no reports of any skulduggery :)

Re: School donations
 

ahhh thanks for that! It really is shocking just how far back they will hold a child here for those few hundred $$. It's very expensive as it is without having to add those into the mix too.

Thanks so much for your help :)

Re: School donations
 

So far here in Adelaide weve just had school fees, no mention of any extra donation requests etc..

However our teenagers senior school in the UK handed out DD mandate forms to all the new parents on the information evening - before kids had even started the school - this was a state school but were asking for donations and regular input from parents etc - and those that didnt 'input' their kids didnt receive equal opportunities at the school...there was a most definate divide in the kids/classes/teacher input etc.

Re: School donations
 

If you don't mind me asking, what are these fees for? Activities etc. or schooling?

Re: School donations
 

We get asked for 'donations' at the beginning of the year but don't get aggro if we don't pay. I pay one amount. Refuse to pay it twice, as requested, having two girls there. Never heard of a child failing or missing out on stuff because of not paying.

Re: School donations
 

I've just put my two into primary.. no hassles re monies or payments... they do have a "donation" but the deputy head told us not to bother until next year as we turned up at the start of the 4th term..

The uniform for our two children (2 teeshirt 2 pair of shorts 2 hats each and 1 bag) was $200 .. a bit steep but the uniform is non-gender and so my daughter can wear the bigger uniform when her brother leaves..

Just had the book requirement for next year come thru for my 2nd child (eldest goes off to High school in Feb) and that was $35.00 for the year..

Trip to wet n wild was about $33... son's Personal Dev studies was $7.50 (sex education in other words..), not sure why I was charged! eeek! Perhaps it is to buy the condoms that they usually pass around?! LMAO! :lol:

I don't particularly think that the schooling is costing much if any more than the UK..

GOod luck

Em x

Re: School donations
 

Public Schooling:
Public education is funded by the Australian Government and provides free tuition for all students. A compulsory school fee of up to AU$161 is charged each year – but only to cover the cost of necessities such as libraries, sporting fees and books. Public schools offer innovative, advanced and diverse curricula – and most are co-educational.

http://www.immigration.sa.gov.au/sit..._education.php

This is only applicable for South Australia though, QLD will have different rules which are here http://www.bubhub.com.au/infoeducationqld.php :)

Re: School donations
 

Slightly off topic, but there was a woman on the radio the other week who was demanding the school she works at impose a levy on those parents who do not/are unable to volunteer for events such as school fetes at the weekend etc etc

I was amazed that most of the people who called into the show and also those hosting it were in agreement with her and thought it was outrageous that some parents did not want to volunteer to help out at such events in their spare time.

My initial thoughts were that if these women were out doing a full-time job and not phoning into some half-arsed chat show, then they'd perhaps see the other side of the coin.

Call me cynical if you like, but I sometimes feel Australia's attempt at building a nation is based solely on blatant money grabbing as in the likes of the topic of this thread

Re: School donations
 

Shocking! What if people can't afford to pay???

At my daughters Infant School I am on the PTA and we do lots of fun fundraisers to buy things for the school (books, educational toys, cooking equipment, playground stuff, book bags etc) and we also do the uniform shop and make sure we get the best prices we can for uniform. Not only do the children and parents join in these fundraisers and have a great time, their children benefit from it too, without the need to stump up huge amounts of £££

Re: School donations
 

Methinks these parents need to get either a) a reality check or b) a life..

Or both in some instances!

Em x

Re: School donations
 

The P&C kindy my daughter went to about 5 years ago imposed a $50 fine on dads that were unable to attend the working bee on the weekend to do painting, fixing things up, odd jobs etc. Utterly ridiculous.

I get so annoyed with these "helicopter mums" who harrangue everyone else into volunteering. I have been volunteering these past few months in organising the year 7 school formal at the end of this year and it has been a real eye opener to say the least.

Some of these mums have no comprehension about how many other parents live their lives i.e single parents or two parents working full time and seem to view these parents as partaking in some kind of intentional neglect of their child rather than the financial necessity it invariably is. When yet another "bake off" has been suggested I have often piped up and asked what the dads are doing in all this fundraising and organisation in the run up to the formal to be met with blank looks and a "boys will be boys" kind of response. Enablers!!!! :curse::curse::curse::thumbdown:

Re: School donations
 

I don't think it's money grabbing at all to ask parents to pay a small donation to their children's school. We're happy to donate because we know it helps out for things like trips, treats for the kids, little incentive gifts for kids that do well, etc.

Re: School donations
 

I get asked to pay 'school voluntary payments' every year. If i don't pay they hound me with letters saying why haven't i paid.
I had 3 kids at school and with all the other stuff you have to pay for i found this an extra binde. I have payed it twice now on 3 kids at first, then 2 kids year later. Just to shut them up. $120 each.

Re: School donations
 

Asking, well, I don't think anyone has a problem with that. Demanding or sending an "invoice" home to make it look compulsory is another thing.