Country’s method of school funding is a lesson to us all

OPINION: If you are a parent of a child at school, you have probably already been asked for money.

Many of you will have paid up because you want to support your child and your school. Good on you. I am sure your school is grateful. And your donation is tax deductible, which is nice.

Some of you will have refused to cough up on principle, because you believe that our education system should be properly funded through the tax system.

I am not sure how many of you principled people are out there, but you may have a point - of sorts.

Before we get to that, let’s clear up what the actual rules are. What exactly are schools allowed to ask you to pay for, and what are you legally obliged to pay for?

The most important principle is that state and state integrated schools cannot charge for any subject or activity that is part of the delivery of the curriculum.

But of course it is not quite so simple…

State integrated schools can charge an ‘attendance’ due, which is compulsory.

Schools can expect you to cover the costs of any materials provided by the school which your child takes home to keep - for example, if s/he makes a table in the school workshop and then decides to take it away.

If you really want to, you can refuse payment if your child does not actually take the table home, but this will need to be negotiated with the school beforehand. The point is that your child cannot be refused access to the curriculum.

Schools can require you to pay for minor items which are ‘consumed’, such as stationery, pens, paper, exercise books etc.

You can also be expected to pay for any activities which are not part of the curriculum and are optional, like social activities or ‘fun’ trips to the beach.

The overall principle remains: schools cannot make you pay for anything that is part of the curriculum. This means that schools cannot require you to pay for tuition, a lap top, or calculator, or a computer levy, or a broadband surcharge, a photocopying fee, or an enrolment fee.

Nor can they charge you for ‘write on’ workbooks, or course booklets if these are used to deliver the curriculum.

Notwithstanding all this, schools are perfectly entitled to ask for a voluntary donation or payment to help cover these costs, so long as they make it clear that you do not have to pay, and that your child will not be penalised in any way if you elect not to.

Which brings me back to those principled tough minded parents who refuse to pay up.

Many school principals say they rely on ‘locally raised funds’. This includes things like donations, fund raisers, trading activities such as a uniform shop, and international fee paying students. Without these funds, they argue, they will have to cut back on the services they deliver.

But, say our principled parents, surely the government should provide enough money for schools to operate without having to rely on these locally raised funds? Isn’t this voluntary donation/ fundraising approach just letting the government out of its obligation to properly fund the education system?

More importantly, they ask, does this approach unfairly impact on children who attend school in poorer communities who often cannot afford to pay a donation or

Schools cannot make you pay for anything that is part of the curriculum.

contribute to fundraising?

Schools which cater for wealthier communities can ask for big donations and parents usually pay up. These schools can also access other funds such as fees from international students. For example, a well known Auckland school currently has 312 international fee paying students, each of whom pays the school $19,500 per year. Do the sums.

Schools in poorer communities, on the other hand, cannot ask for big donations and, anyway, many parents simply cannot afford to meet even relatively small requests. They are compensated to some extent because government funding formulas do provide them with some extra dollars. However, this ‘decile funding’, as it is known, by no means creates a level playing field.

The system disadvantages schools in poorer communities and allows wealthy schools to rake in the cash.

It’s not a new problem, and of course it goes without saying that schools will never have enough money. Here’s a thought: If you live in a wealthy community, pay your donation to a school that needs it more than yours.