Anger at back-to-school costs
‘‘As soon as you’re saying bring a device, there’s a certain number of families out there who just can’t.’’ Nayland College parent
The price of laptops that some high schools recommend their students take to school has angered parents, as more working families reach out for help with back-to-school costs.
Buying a new device – on top of a new uniform and stationery – hiked up costs for a child starting high school to around $1000, some parents in Nelson told Stuff.
Most were either waiting to see if their children needed a device at school before opting to buy one, or had bought one because they thought their child would be disadvantaged if they didn’t.
The parents of a 12-year-old starting at Nayland College this year were in the latter camp.
The boy’s mother, who did not want to be named, did not initially want her son to have his own laptop, but felt pressured into buying him one for school.
‘‘I was really concerned about him having to be responsible for a very expensive piece of equipment, and concerned how will he keep that safe biking, scootering and skateboarding to and from school, and at school,’’ she said.
The stance on the school website, that it was beneficial for students to take their own device into school, made the couple worried their son could miss out on learning if they did not provide him with his own laptop, the woman said.
The school changed the wording of its BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy for this year from ‘‘encouraging’’ a device at all year levels, to asking all year 9 students (the first year at high school) and year 11 students to take their own laptop if possible.
A device also featured on the school’s year 9 stationery list under ‘‘requirements’’ for the year.
The couple planned to buy a laptop that was nearly $200 dollars cheaper than the cheapest laptop shown on the school website, from the school’s preferred supplier. While it only had half of the 128GB specification listed on the year 9 stationery list, the couple bought a 64GB SD card for $20, to meet the specification.
The most expensive laptop from the school’s preferred supplier shown on the school website was just over $1300, and the school recommended parents had insurance to cover any damage.
‘‘As soon as you’re saying bring a device, there’s a certain number of families out there who just can’t,’’ the mother said. ‘‘You’re going to put those families under increased kind of pressure, and that feeling of shame of not being able to support, or do, what’s required for your family.’’
Schools cannot require parents to pay for devices because schools aren’t allowed to charge fees for activities and resources that relate to the curriculum.
Nayland College principal Daniel Wilson conceded putting a device under ‘‘requirements’’ in the stationery list was misleading, and he would follow up with the company that made the list.
Students would not miss out in lessons if they did not own a device, as the school had 4-5 devices per classroom and computer pods that could be used by classes, Wilson said.
‘‘In a world where technology is everywhere, we do believe, however, that having ‘ownership’ of a device brings students a level of freedom and control in their ability to use the device for learning at home and at school,’’ he said.
Students were free to bring in any device they wished, Wilson said. But he cautioned parents against buying cheaper laptops only to find they were unreliable and would not work with software at a secondary school.
The cheapest computer from the school’s preferred supplier on the school website, costing $569 with a discount, had a three-year warranty. Buying an SD card for a laptop could slow the device down, Wilson said.
Parent Emily Whinney felt it was too much responsibility for a student starting high school to take their own device into school.
Her son was starting at Nelson College, which changed its BYOD policy for this year from compulsory to recommended.
He would take in a device that he had used at intermediate school, where BYOD was also recommended.
‘‘If something happens to it we’re in the camp where we can’t just go ‘oh don’t worry, sorry you fell off your bike, let’s go and buy a new computer’.’’
Parent Paula Jones spent $377 for a new school uniform for her son, also starting at the school, receiving Work and Income support to do so.
Buying a laptop on top of that would have been unaffordable, she said.
Nelson charitable trust the Fifeshire Foundation, which helped families with back-to-school costs, said it had had more applications over the last year from working families.
Manager Leanne Churchill said some families’ income was being ‘‘completely consumed’’ by their dayto-day outgoings, making setting their children up at a new school a struggle.
‘‘Year on year, it almost feels that more and more people are struggling.’’
Housing costs had escalated to about 60 per cent of some people’s income, she said.
Manager of local charitable trust Te Korowai Trust Robyn Parkes said school uniforms, stationery and course fees continued to amount to huge costs for families.
‘‘A lot of our clients... by the time they pay their rent and their power, and try to buy enough food... I honestly have some, who they wouldn’t even have $5 a week to be able to put aside for uniforms.’’
She suggested uniforms be subsidised.