rick78

bourbon-biscuit

That is terrible, I would be so livid, I do hope they got a strongly worded written complaint from you. I really felt for you and your lad reading that.



Interesting thread. Couple of things- decile is based upon socio-economic status of the families attending the school, not whether ppl pay donations or not, though the higher the decile school the less funding per student they receive from the government. The thinking is that parents who are better off can afford to contribute to the school, whereas it's right and proper that society ensures kids that come from the most deprived areas attract greater government funding. I like that, I'm cool with it. I'm not cool with schools making money out of shitty uniforms and ripping parents off over sports etc. An upfront fee/donation is fine by me and if you don't want to pay it you can enroll your kid in a lower decile school.

I pay mine and we defo have ideas above our station sneaking our kids by hook or by crook into the best schooling around, but then I don't expect my neighbours to pick up the tab for my decision to prioritise their education and we do go without some of life's pleasantries and struggle to make sure they're getting the best education we can. Decent education gives 'em wings, doesn't it and I think that's worth every cent, personally.

pricklykina

My daughter's school said that if I paid the donation and the activity fee in one payment in term one then I got a $40 discount. I though, "shoot, that means that I have to find $200 in one go" and then it dawned on me that I could just make the payments in dribs and drabs over term one (or beyond) and pay $40 less as it's a donation. People tell me that it doesn't work like that, but it does!

Saying that..I have spend $40 on lunches and coffees this week so I think that my priorities might be skewed

A lady I spoke to the other day said that her school had combined the activity fee and the donation together and made it a smaller amount and called the whole thing a donation. She said to the school office "great, now I don't have to pay any of it" They buggered that one I think

luvwelly

Ooh Bourbon, are you sure you have thought that one through, so following that logic, you are saying a poor child who lives in the zone of high decile school should have to go to a neighbouring lower decile school if their parents can't or won't pay?

And if the state funded it properly in the first place for all kids, you wouldn't have to say this:QUOTE BOUBON:
'I pay mine and we defo have ideas above our station sneaking our kids by hook or by crook into the best schooling around, but then I don't expect my neighbours to pick up the tab for my decision to prioritise their education and we do go without some of life's pleasantries'

Bumptious

Having a high decile school doesn't mean the education is better than a lower decile school. Last year the child that scored the highest high school NZCEA marks actually attended a low decile school.
I would guess your child might be rubbing shoulders with children from higher socio economic areas if they attend a higher decile but as in my youngest child's school in a 'posh' suburb and a high decile school, because they don't zone we have kids from all walks of life, some incredibly poor, and all nationalities.
I have noticed with Brits (yes I am one) living in UK that many people are caught up in the class system still. My sister in law who lives there, took her kids out of the local state system and they are now educated privately because in her words "I don't want my kids to mix with oiks". Well as far as I'm concerned you get "oiks" in all walks of life whether poor or affluent.

UKNZAUS

I am a student teacher (nearly finished now woooooo) and have worked in a decile 9 school and a decile 4 primary school... I MUCH preferred the decile 4 school to teach in! The education we have to provide is the same NATIONWIDE regardless of ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender etc. We are trained to provide education (as stated in the UN Convention of Rights of Children) to all children without fear of judgment etc.

Seeing it from the inside, I can see why they need the money in higher decile schools, and can see exactly why the government has to give more to lower decile schools...!

I refuse to pay my son's donations now because of the way we were treat (no apology, just excuses to the turfing off the bus). If I was treat like that in a bank, a shop, or whatever, I wouldn't go back!! I kept him at the school because there are only 2 in our area and it's the lesser of 2 evils unfortunately (I get insider information being in the teaching profession )

P18PPS

So to confirm - you can see the benefits of receiving the "donation" from the inside, yet you refuse to pay?!?!

UKNZAUS

Yep! That's what I said As you like quoting... it's a "donation" = it's not compulsory. If my son had have received the 'benefit' of going to a swimming gala without being turfed off a bus, I would have carried on paying. Seeing as their incompetent staff can't check accounts properly, they humiliated my son because they said I didn't pay a voluntary donation! I do, however, pay all the school fees

Like I also said, if I had received that treatment anywhere else, I wouldn't go back or give them my business... this is just a different form of expressing my feelings.

Would you honestly pay for a crap service?

bourbon-biscuit

Damn, teach me to sloppy post- I should have been crystal clear, but I think if you've read enough of my posts you'd know that I wouldn't mean that! So, to be clear, if you can't afford the donation than I don't think you should have to pay, period. If you can afford it then I kind of think you should.

Yes, I get what you're saying but actually 'the state' is us the taxpayers anyway. The decile-donations system is just a robin hood way of funding education, sort of redistributing the wealth. I agree with you though, I'd rather they overhauled the tax system and paid for education entirely that way.

Robbie2010

Where is the incentive for them to do that if people keep paying the "donations"? and there's not a snowball chance in hell of that happening under a National Govt.

P18PPS

I call it a "donation" because that is the correct terminology.
It's a real shame that your son was embarrassed, and personally I would have played merry-hell with the principal in this case - but then again I have faith with my local school that this would not happen regardless of whether a donation had been made.
I think it's terrible that you refuse to pay entirely based on a clerical error - they are educators not a slick streamlined business such as a bank as you quoted earlier. I think the world over most clerical staff at schools are mums of children at the school themselves (no excuse for a badly handled mistake), though everyone makes mistakes.
So what is your solution - to simply let the other parents take care of the shortfall from the government so that your child can continue to enjoy the benefits that you quoted earlier as seeing from the inside.
And if the service is "so crap" as you put it why on earth would you continue to send your children there? Your on the Hibiscus Coast not remote Northland.

bourbon-biscuit

There's no incentive whether I do or don't. The government isn't going to increase funding because of some decile 9/10 revolt against donations. If I pay it I ensure my kids' schools are better funded and equipped to offer my kids a better education. And after all, we're talking a few hundy a year here, nothing that will break the bank of the average school parent in a high decile area.

Now the uniform racket, that seriously winds me up and is outright thieving from parents, imo.

Katmat

I have met several British people in my area who have knowingly moved into a decile 10 area, chosen their kid's school because it is a decile 10, but then refused to pay the contribution. One said recently that she "doesn't believe in donations". I really struggle with this- noone made them live in this area, and I think it is morally wrong to do so with no intention of paying.

This is totally different to someone who has lived in a particular area for a long time, but has then fallen on hard times. I don't think many would have a problem with someone taking a year off from paying in those circumstances.

luvwelly

Cheers for the clarification Bourbon and yes I did think you wouldn't mean that really...and I agree that since that is how the system is set up here, if you can pay, you should pay regardless of what it is called (donation or fee) since your child will directly benefit.

If you don't pay it, taxes for everyone would have to go up to compensate or your child's education would arguably suffer.

luvwelly

I agree that it is not a good way to endear yourself to the local community since it is obvious you would be paying more income tax if the system weren't set up this way. People should look at it as getting some tax off the payment because of it being a donation and recognise it for the cultural difference it is rather than wangle out of the small print.

A similar point is Brits whinging at GP receptionists because of fees to see the doctor, the receptionist explained it to me (I didn't whinge btw lol I had done my research) upfront by saying 'NZ is a small country, we don't have a very big tax take from such a small population so what we raise has to go along way, one of the ways the NZ Government cuts back is in charging for GP visits unlike in the UK'

Put like that, both systems make a lot of sense...but I wouldn't design them that way in the first place.

Standby for the special 'rebuild Christchurch tax' - is anyone planning on boycotting that as well?