Lots of levies and charges push up costs

WITH Townsville parents already forking out hundreds of dollars more for their child’s private school tuition in 2019, they’re also being hit with a raft of additional levies and charges for special subjects, outdoor camps, building upgrades and even cleaning fees.

A look at the 2019 fee structures for private schools across the region shows nearly half have increased their annual fees by more than the cost of inflation.

All Souls St Gabriels School in Charters Towers will increase fees for Year 7 students by 6 per cent in 2019 – more than three times the inflation rate of 1.9 per cent.

Some private schools are also slapping parents with extra fees into the hundreds in the form of special subject levies including home economics, drama and even biology, and also charging compulsory contributions to school building funds. Others also charge a non-refundable enrolment application and confirmation fees for new students.

Only one Townsville school is keeping their fees the same as last year, and one Townsville school is actually reducing their fees this year.

Annandale Christian College’s tuition fees for Years 7-12 in 2019 are 0.25 per cent lower than their 2018 fees listed via the Good Schools Guide.

Primary students in Years 3-6 will have a 9.4 per cent drop to their school fees this year, which also includes a building levy.

Calvary Christian College’s base fee rate has increased about 3 per cent, with extras like the compulsory Year 7 Canberra trip ($1900) and a $150 “PIP levy” – a Parents in Partnership levy that encourages parent participation and is refundable for five hours’ parental volunteer work.

Independent Schools Queensland executive director David Robertson said private schools were “open and transparent” about their fees and published details about their tuition costs and charges on their websites.

“School fees are an important part of the information parents seek and schools readily provide this information to prospective families,” Mr Robertson said.

“Many Queensland independent schools publish their fees, including a breakdown of compulsory and voluntary costs, on their websites and update these each year.”

Townsville Grammar School is one school that attracts admin costs ($110 application fee, $300 confirmation fee) and All Souls St Gabriels School in Charters Towers have a non-refundable application fee of $50 and $150 enrolment confirmation fee.

St Joseph’s Catholic School on The Strand has increased their diocesan fee by 3 per cent, with extra levies including a $610 building fund levy, $420 cleaning levy, $577 resource levy, $120 computer levy and $30 excursion levy.

Annual fees at St Margaret Mary’s College increased by 3 per cent. In addition to tuition, there’s also a school-based levy of $1960 a student per annum for excursions, camps and teaching materials.

Their P&F levy is $6.30 a year and a compulsory “family levy” of $620 a family to help service the college’s loans on buildings or to maintain buildings and grounds.

The Marian School’s annual fees also increased by 3 per cent, with additional school fees including a development levy ($720 for the year), resource levy ($768) and P & F levy of $10.

The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James has an “outdoor education” fee for an annual camp, which ranges from $150 for Year 2 up to $1365 for Year 10 students.

There are also fees for elective subjects, including $165 for Year 11 biology and science 21, $160 for Year 11-12 drama and $300 if you want to do technology studies in Year 11.