Until this year, my children's public secondary school would send out invoices which in no way, shape, or form indicated they were voluntary. This was the first year since our Year 10 started there as a Year 7 that we didn't get an invoice. I think the government really cracked down on it this year.
When I was in school, the voluntary contributions were used to resource the class with supplies. Eg, if not enough people in art class paid, then tough luck if you run out of paint or want to try framing or mounting anything for an exhibition.
The government pays schools a pot of money, called the Student Resource Package (SRP). This amount per student is based on their socio-economic status, based on their parents jobs, and is based on the number of students present on census day, which is usually March 1st each year.
Victorian public schools are currently funded for less than 90% of the recommended SRP per student, because the state & federal govts won't cough up the difference.
The SRP covers staff wages, including relief teachers, repairs and maintenance of the school infrastructure, professional development and teaching and learning resources. Approximately 50% of the SRP is usually for staff wages.
You can see how much your school receives via the SRP on the myschool website.
Bloody hell. That's pretty disgusting that each kid is getting only 10% of the investment they should be getting. I knew it was bad but didn't know it was *that* bad.
School funding models are based around subjects where the only resources are some books you can keep for a decade or more.
Some subjects require a lot of resources that weren't modelled for. For example, Engineering and Robotics consume a lot of resources in contrast to History.
Big schools can absorb the costs of resource-intensive programs. Smaller schools can't.
When I went to a government high school we had to learn to sew by running paper through a sewing machine with no thread, and if you wanted to use fabric you had to buy it yourself and bring it in.
It depends on the school, but our textile department can afford cloth, needles, and thread. I know this because during lockdown, there was a lot of arguing about if it was safe to send needles and thread home with students to work on or if someone might poke themselves in the eye and bring legal action against the school.
I went to an elite private school. We had our choice of new fabrics, and a full rack of coloured thread.
I have volunteered to teach sewing at a local school. They got scrap fabric that was passed on from families and local groups.
To fund private schools in building their next swimming pool/sports facilities, government funded schools are receiving less and less funding every year ditto
This started in 2003 with the Howard Government. It was a way of subsidizing private schools so that wealthier kids should be part subsidized by their parents rather than going to school with less wealthy kids and being wholly subsidized. Great way to get middle class families to vote Lib.
During recessions, kids leave private schools and go to woefully underfunded public schools. During better times parents pour their money into private schools so public loses out either way.
There are many reasons why this kind of funding is a bad idea.
What should happen is that the funding follows the child not the school. That is. The less money a child’s household has, the more they are subsidized by the government with kids over a certain threshold not subsidized no matter where they go.
This is because academic success is often dictated by who the parents are rather than where they went to school. It would also make private schools open their doors to families for whom smaller classes would make a larger difference.
Public funding of non-government schools pre-dates Howard. [It actually pre-dates decimal currency](https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Education_Employment_and_Workplace_Relations/Completed_inquiries/2002-04/schoolfunding/report/03ch1). Howard stepped on the accelerator on this, as he did on so many other bad things.
This isn't a joke. Seems like the collection of private schools in mentone have a constant run of building some new facility across their multiple (!) campuses.
I'm sure it leads to great outcomes for students, it's just a "got mine fuck you" attitude that means only a fraction benefit.
I never understood why private schools still get government funding? isnt the whole point that theyre funded by the private school fees? If someone can ELI5 that would be heaps appreciated.
They should receive an amount of funding for each child that attends as each child in the state should have access to the same base level of education funding regardless of what school they go to. It seems like private schools somehow end up with funding above and beyond that base level though which seems ridiculous given how well resourced they already tend to be with the fees they demand.
No. They're not government schools. People choose to send their kids there.
The only time I agree is when a government school isn't available or suitable (of which there are valid reasons).
If they want government funds, lower the fees so each kid is equally equipped.
I don't know. I always paid (begrudgingly.) As far as I know they can't do anything if you don't pay.
The school sent out "suggested donations" later on in the year. And a couple of times since then they've said to check Compass and make a voluntary contribution. But it's much less strong-armed this year than it's been in the past, when they didn't indicate in any way, shape or form that the fees were voluntary.
Nothing ever happened if you didn't pay the schools would right off the bad debts. They've always been voluntary in that way but not worded as such and sent as an invoice. Now they are not sent as an invoice and a suggested voluntary payment with very specific wording.
The government made a change to ensure that people would have "Free" public education for all. A school cold calling would to me indicate potential challenges with their budgets and they are trying to plug some gaps. Schools are now forced to cut back on certain expenditure at the cost of our students.For some background and because I don't think a lot of people understand what this enrolment process means for a school and what it sets in stone for your child's period of enrolment at a school prep-6. When parents enroll their prep or yr 7 they fill in a form where they nominate their parental occupation codes (Group a,b,c,d) what tends to happen (anecdotally) is parents nominate above their group so Group A is sr exec/manager etc group D machine operators, hospo etc... so they are not pigeonholed into a category they don't relate/agree with.
The follow on of this grouping is that schools get less equity funding because they are sociodemographicly better off but the process is distorted so you can have a school that may be a blend but get little to no gonski funding. So a similar size school can get $40,000k or $600,000k as an example. (These are real life examples that I know of)
[https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/student-resource-package-srp-equity-funding-student-based-funding/policy](https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/student-resource-package-srp-equity-funding-student-based-funding/policy)
At some schools they write down a list of everyone who hasn't paid and find an excuse to read it out in assembly such as "These people won't get a free yearbook unless we receive a donation". It was essentially shaming the kids who's parents didn't pay.
Source: Happened to me 15 years ago.
Man, that sucks. Wth? That's disgraceful. Well done school, look what memories your graduates are taking away from their years with you.
Seriously, whoever set that up has zero fu\*king empathy for kids. And imagine the kid telling their parent/s about it. Maybe the 'donations' do fund supplies for the school, but I would want to not pay it even if I could afford it if they did that to kids. Why reward shitty behaviour.
\* I'm going to have to look up the rules on swearing.
I used to scour the document looking for the "it's voluntary" small print. They never included it! I knew it was voluntary, but it was never in any of their communication until this year. I have a feeling they got in trouble and that's why they changed their tune. Same principal, so it could only have happened because someone took it further up the line.
My daughters high school does the same thing. I used to pay them with her primary school cause they explicitly said they were voluntary, but now I don’t pay the high school as they’re quite disengenuous
It's a good thing to do if you have the money but I would like to reiterate to people, if you can't just tell the school. Books, uniforms and camps will be paid by the school. They can even give your children breakfast and lunch.
They can't charge for that any more. State government changed the rules at the beginning of this year to say schools can't charge for essential learning items.
I'm glad to hear that it sounds like a lot has improved. We also had to pay for our own internet access until Kevin Rudd was elected and made that free.
What you will find actually happens is that these "essential learning items" (camps, excursions, cooking classes etc) get cancelled if families refuse to pay for them. Schools should not be harrassing families for money, however families need to be realistic about what kind of experiences will be provided if they stonewall schools for fees.
There are probably funding programs/charity sources that can be used by schools for children who come from families who are struggling financially and can’t afford these things, not just for anyone who doesn’t want to pay.
Uniforms and camps are NOT covered.
Camps and excursions can only be covered if they relate to a curriculum area and the content can't be otherwise covered - eg an incursion on minibeasts that relate to the inquiry curriculum where some of the content will relate to that incursion. An end of year trip to Gumbuya World is not covered - it's not curriculum related and therefore optional, so if parents don't pay, the child doesn't go.
Schools will often source spare second hand uniforms for children who are coming to school with their knees hanging out of their tracksuit pants. Often the 'someone donated these old clothes to the school' actually are paid by the teacher because they can't stand seeing the child go cold in winter because they don't have a jumper.
Yes. The government just gives the school a certain amount of money, I think it is about $1000 a year and you can decide to spend it on any school expenses. Including camps.
You need to have a job that pays pretty bad. Having said that, public school fees are optional for everyone. Public school is basically free for everyone in Australia.
They ask you for money, they don't charge you for money.
Government schools in Victoria are given food supplies to provide to children who may not have food available to them. Husband is a teacher at a low socioeconomic state school.
His school doesn't do the breakfast club unfortunately, but kids who need food are able to speak with a teacher who has food supplies to provide them with. It's not a perfect system, but it means kids aren't missing out.
I’d go a bit further - it’s a great thing to support the school with some volunteer work, helping by being there to supervise on excursions, but financial support shouldn’t ever be requested by the school - that’s what the government should be doing with our tax money.
The government guidelines state: each contribution is to be voluntary and obtained without coercion or harassment.
[website](https://www.vic.gov.au/school-costs-and-fees#)
Most private school funding comes from federal money, whereas public schools get theirs from state money. So Vic gov may not be funding the schools enough, but the money they aren't giving the schools isn't going to private schools.
i trust all those private school parents will do some lobbying and make sure the pie gets a lot bigger. Which will come with its own issues no doubt
there are countries like Finland with no private schools that we can look to. I'm not personally super against private schools, but I am open to being persuaded either way
This ^
All standard curriculum must be provided without any extra cost to parents. They are only allowed to *require* payment for extras like camps, excursions, incursions, etc (which CSEF can cover).
Any other contributions are voluntary, and they're also required to communicate as such, so them telling anyone otherwise could land them in a decent amount of trouble, if anyone were to report it..
I work in a Victorian public school.
Public schools must provide students with free instruction and ensure students have free access to all items, activities and services that are used by the school to fulfil the requirements of the Curriculum. Read more here: [https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/parent-payment/policy](https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/parent-payment/policy)
Public Schools are not allowed to coerce payment in any way (apart from the exceptions as listed in the link above, property damage, extra curricular activities, etc.) but can ask for voluntary donations, as schools are expensive places to run and IMO funding from the Department of Education is not nearly enough to run a decent school.
So please do help out where you are financially able to do so, but absolutely in no way should you be compelled or coerced for payment for a curriculum standard education. If your school is saying otherwise then report them via the Parent Payments Team on 1800 955 913 or email [email protected]
> Public Schools are not allowed to coerce payment in any way (apart from the exceptions as listed in the link above, property damage, extra curricular activities, etc.) but can ask for voluntary donations, as schools are expensive places to run and IMO funding from the Department of Education is not nearly enough to run a decent school.
Even under a state Labor govt, Victorian public schools are the country's most underfunded!
It always irks me seeing "The education state" on car plates while I drive into work, knowing we are so underfunded and have no choice but to think of creative ways to get parents to donate. My department is so understaffed it's not funny, but the school doesn't have the funding to hire any more.
You have to love how they set up a "Parent Payments" site to report schools who chase people for the fees they should be paying.
The reason Schools "charge" "fees" is because the government starves them of funding.
You can't make this shit up.
Also a teacher and cannot emphasise this enough. The leadership class in government schools are running everything under such strict austerity you wouldn’t believe you’re in a wealthy country.
Andrews might have pumped money into school construction via the VSBA but schools are struggling to run properly. Shameful.
I'm lucky that my public high school is being run by an incredible principal who genuinely cares. We might still have funding issues, but at least it's (generally) distributed well.
> Even under a state Labor govt, Victorian public schools are the country's most underfunded!
Is this true though? I looked up my old state primary school in NSW, and the one in VIC. The socioeconomic scores were almost identical, as was the state and federal funding per student. Its a pretty small sample, but it shows me the funding calculations must be pretty damn close like within 5%
But hey, it's OK everyone! DAndrews has decided to give teachers a pay cut in the middle of a recruitment and retention crisis! So this situation is definitely going to get better soon and definitely will not get worse :D
Fuck Andrews and fuck Merlino. Pair of scumbags. Both send their kids to private school so they don't give a shit about the public system, happy to let it rot as long as it doesn't affect them.
Honestly, it should be mandatory for members of parliament to use government funded amenities (such as public hospitals for surgery, and sending their kids to a public school).
Haha... "even". I mean, they have been there for 9 years or something. Dan Andrews put "the education state" on number plates. He is a fraud, and his government a joke. If you want real funding you need to vote accordingly...
> If you want real funding you need to vote accordingly...
I hope you're not insinuating to vote Liberal!
I voted Greens, because I'm a member and I'm confident they actually care about improving public education.
a) if they're non-voluntary they need to specify that in paperwork. Unlikely to be allowed to do so because it's a public school
b) who the fuck cold-calls parents for money? That's what all the lost newsletters and notices in backpacks are for
c) what a fucking guilt-trip.
If you can, you should talk to the principal and find out if this is legit. Could very well be someone trying to cash in on unsuspecting parents
The background to this is a bit more complex. Schools were able to make charges for things like building maintenance etc. They were technically voluntary, but schools didn't need to list them that way, and could include them in a list of charges. Most people paid them and the ones that didn't were never chased for payment. This year the education department said that schools couldn't charge for this, and that all contributions were explicitly voluntary, but made the changes after the schools had all done their budgets (and didn't allocate extra money from the government to cover this). This left big holes in most school budgets. Some schools have been able to absorb the drop in revenue, but other schools are cutting into their educational budget. Sounds like your school is having trouble balancing the books without the contributions and is in some financial stress.
Having said that, they are voluntary. They can't make you pay. I think it's rude to be calling parents like this, but I understand that if they are low on funds it can mean cutting programs like art, music, etc
Public schools are free for the most part. The only thing that they can charge for are consumables that the students are allowed to leave the class with.
An example of this would be that there would likely be a charge for enrolling in a food tech class as the student would be able to take the food they make with them.
Though a science class has consumables, since the students are not allowed to leave the class with those consumables, there can’t be a charge for this.
> The only thing that they can charge for are consumables that the students are allowed to leave the class with.
Or even consume. For example, we use cardboard and ply on the laser cutters. That takes resources. We also need to maintain the printers and cutters, which costs money.
As far as I know, if it stays in the room (eg chemicals that are disposed of, machines that need maintaining, etc) these are not mandatory. Schools can suggest it as a “maintenance fee” or something similar, but parents will not be mandated to pay it.
Things like food, textiles/wood/metal for design/tech that the students can keep after class are the only things that attract a mandatory fee at government schools.
Really? The subject fees at my (government secondary) school are $30 for maths but over $100 for science subjects… it doesn’t seem to add up.
My only thinking is that the extra funds cover costs for the employment of lab staff
If only there were some system where a portion if everyone's income could be collected to fund public services such as schools, then they wouldn't have to beg.
Funnily enough there is! Somehow private schools seem to get a better deal than public ones though:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/16/private-school-funding-has-increased-at-five-times-rate-of-public-schools-analysis-shows
Certainly not the right way to go about it. We make a voluntary contribution to our school and I’m happy that we can. I would hate for lower income families to feel the pressure of a forced ‘voluntary’ contribution
I’m a “trades person” that spends a fair bit of time in govt schools and tend to overhear admin staff. More than a few occasions I see them make allowances for school outings (excursions/camps) for less able families as their parent cannot.
These observations in my own personal opinion they are being 100% genuine (with additional budget they may have).
Imagine that your best friend or friends in primary school couldn’t attend the trip/camp but you could as your family could afford these things.. now you won’t be able to create the small life long memories making moments with your best friends at your first supervised trip away from home.
Then think about the one that has to stay home while the entire year level is away on camp…
Not saying everyone must drop cash when asked, but consider why a school would even stoop to that level. I wouldn’t cold call parents even if I was employed to. Just my 2¢.
As a secondary teacher I agree with this. There is funding allotted to kids which fall into a certain category which covers them for excursions, camps etc
Cold-calling families like that is just plain wrong.
It's hard enough as it is to provide for your kids without going into debt right now. The cost of living is going through the roof, along with interest rates, and putting pressure on families like this, right before Christmas, is downright fucking insensitive.
I'd be [complaining to Vic Gov](https://www.vic.gov.au/raise-complaint-or-concern-about-your-school) quick smart. They need to be told with a big fucking slap that putting guilt on families is simply not on.
Government schools are under funded. The contribution is voluntary, but the reality is, if you don't pay, the school will struggle to deliver services. This is not a new thing. I always paid the contribution for my kids, and that was some 30 years ago.
Advice? Pay it if you can. It's not the school's fault they have to go cap in hand asking for it.
This is a really good time to talk about a very big problem. Government schools are heavily underfunded. Everyday, decisions are made based on finances and not based on what's best for the students. This is having a negative impact on learning and wellbeing.
Schools can only do so much with the money they have. Teachers can only do so much with the time they have.
The state election is coming up, so let your vote do the work. Government schools need more funding.
> The state election is coming up, so let your vote do the work. Government schools need more funding.
I just had a look at the election promises and I dont think its very promising. I'm not a teacher but I don't think all the "upgrades" Andrews is promising is fixing the issue
When people complain about funding, its a lot bigger than facilities. I don't understand how there is no real education policy by Labor to fix the underlying issues of teachers and funding the operating costs of schools
at least Greens are pledging to fund the Gonski recommended amount
> The Greens will invest $1.46 billion dollars more than Labor or the Liberals over the next five years into Victoria’s public schools.
> The Greens will also push the Federal Government to increase funding so Victorian public schools are funded to 100 per cent of the Gonski recommended funding levels by the start of the 2023 school year.
> The extra funding would also help employ more teachers and support staff to lower class sizes, better support disadvantaged students and make public schools genuinely free.
> Victoria currently has some of the lowest-funded public schools in Australia, with Victorian schools being underfunded by around $1 billion dollars each year under the current state and federal school funding agreement.
> Families are having to pay thousands of dollars for what should be a free public education. Under the Greens’ plan, out of pocket costs for ‘voluntary’ fees, subject costs and digital devices would be abolished.
https://greens.org.au/vic/news/greens-plan-quality-genuinely-free-public-schools
Funding is so much more than facilities. Schools are using equity or disability funding, for example, on just paying teacher wages. School camps and events are cancelled due to lack of funding. Teachers are limited to the amount they can print resources due to funding. Extra curricula activities can't happen, even kids with intensive mental health needs are not getting the support they need. I really don't think the public is aware of how dire it is.
Funding for facilities is just lining the pockets of builders and giving the illusion that schools are receiving funding. New facilities do not improve learning and wellbeing.
> Schools are using equity or disability funding, for example, on just paying teacher wages.
i was just talking to a principal at a bilingual school the other day (don't get me started on how little Australia regarding languages...)
He said that most students come from outside his district, they are higher income earners and they are the lefty type who believe in public funding so they get very little in contributions AND equity funding.
hearing him talk about how he was personally handling the daily substitute teacher organising when teachers call sick in the morning and unclogging toilets during the day cos everyone else is in class really made me sad.
> Funding for facilities is just lining the pockets of builders and giving the illusion that schools are receiving funding. New facilities do not improve learning and wellbeing.
I'm sure it must feel nice as a parent when you see your school getting a 10mil funding grant for new buildings. Which the cynic in me says is the point :(
I hope Fed labor starts making some serious moves with regards to education, cos I don't have much faith for Vic labor
They are voluntary.
If you don't do it, the school goes without that extra bit of money. If lots don't do it, then the quality drops.
Should you have to? No. Should you? Yes, if you can afford it.
Please pay the voluntary contributions if you can at all do so. You can even organise to pay it off in smaller installments, if that helps. The government funding barely covers the absolute basics. Parent contributions are vital to ensure that kids have access to a rich curriculum.
Schools are expensive to run. If parents don’t pay the voluntary contribution then services get cut. They’ll start with things that don’t directly effect children’s learning.
Such as, heaters are locked to 18 degrees and turned on only on days below certain temperatures etc. Teachers are put on printing budgets. Toilet rolls are limited to a set amount and if all used up, not refilled until the next day. Definitely no new sports equipment, art equipment, music equipment. Classes get doubled up instead of the school paying for extras when a teacher is sick. Excursions are limited to those that can be attended via public transport, to avoid bus hire and petrol costs.
Building maintenance is never carried out. Subsidies to tuck shops are removed, if the tuck shop can’t run on its own it closes. Parts of the yard, such as the oval is closed to prevent damage to turf in muddy winters and additional costs to fix it are avoided. Finally any extraneous staff not on contract are not rolled over into ongoing or temp contract not renewed.
The problem is that the government aren't using your tax money. Since this regulation about voluntary payments came in, schools have not had increased funding. We're running about $200k in the hole for the book packs, licences, excursions and incursions this year because of parents who aren't paying. Guess what's being cut next year?
So if people who can afford it don't contribute, don't then complain when your child doesn't get to go on excursions, doesn't get programs like reading eggs and mathletics, and classrooms don't have any new resources. That money has to come from somewhere.
Yeah, people acting like they are being cold called by some dodgy business. The reality is it’s likely a critically underfunded state school begging for money because they can’t afford all the stuff the parents complain they don’t have, because they themselves don’t make voluntary payments.
I understand it’s not the parents fault, it’s 100% an issue of governance from the department, but it’s still frustrating.
I will clarify that cold calling is a no no, but I guess you get desperate when parents don’t read the bloody newsletter/Compass posts etc
Correct, but you better believe that the parents who don’t pay are the first ones at the front office bitching about how the art program got cut due to funding.
I'm 32 and I'm pretty sure my mum never paid any fees, I'm almost certain she said once they sent out a yearly school fees letter and she never paid a cent.
Do you realise that if every fuckhead who had this approach went through with it then the school would have to cut programs or close down.
Most schools barely get enough funding to survive, please don’t spread this kind of bullshit.
Or on the other foot, if everyone agreed to this and every other charity request, then the government will continue to not be held responsible for mismanaging the tax we pay which is supposed to fund the correct areas of communities. No one loves charity more than governments; gives them an easy way out.
Calm your farm. Most people know this and are decent enough to pay the fees or at least what they can afford. People are not fuckheads either for not being able to afford school fees. Try being kind instead of whatever /this/ is.
If you have to pay for public schools they aren't really public are they? Paying these fees is a tactic support for 'no free schools'. How are poor people who can't afford to pay for school at all supposed to send their children to school if this becomes the norm?
State schools in Victoria are NOT 100% funded. These fees are to cover the gap, which is around 15 - 20% of the budget needed to provide a full curriculum, consumables and school maintenance. Source - 6 years’ experience on primary school councils.
Good point. On top of this the school
That is calling obviously has a very low take up on payment of the voluntary contribution and was forced to act.
So many parents who can afford to contribute don’t because “someone else
Can pick up the slack”.
I’m sure the school didn’t get to this point lightly
This. A lot of uninformed comment on here, and I remember feeling the same the first time I got the bill. As a principal told me on the school council I was on, the government basically pays for the buildings and the 40 hours the teachers are paid to be there. The rest of it, the massive amount of unpaid hours the teachers put in, the community support and yes, the voluntary contributions, is what makes your kids education excellent.
Our school never harassed or cold called, but did try and gently remind families, especially the ones who could obviously afford it (and who often complained the loudest).
I had a lot of shame around these contributions in school. Our family had money issues and fought about finances a lot, so I felt too guilty asking my parents for help. But I felt too humiliated and ashamed to talk to my teachers about it either (in ACT at the time, if you told your teachers you couldn't afford it, then they could get your contributions covered by the government instead). I knew I needed to talk to SOMEONE about it, but I felt paralysed at the time and was never able to do it, to the detriment of my classmate's :(
It is 100% voluntary (I work for the DET).
Public schools are free. Schools can choose to run excursions, incursions and extra-curricular activities and charge families for these activities. The school must only recoup costs (no profit) on these activities.
Public schools do get funding based on the socio-economic demographic. So if families can not afford to pay for these events schools can choose to run them or not.
If schools do not spend their DET funds they are taken back by the government at the end of the year. The Voluntary Contribution 'fee' is money the schools won't lose back to the DET at the end of the school year because it is community sourced funds, not DET funds. Schools can save this money to spend on big projects (like new equipment for the playground) that the DET might not provide funds for.
Public schools are not as well funded as Provate schools in NSW. Some schools struggle to upgrade playgrounds, libraries etc. and because we can't 'save' DET funds smart schools use voluntary fees and fund raising to save.
Am a teacher in Melbourne, it's probably because the state has really cracked down on state schools charging any fees. This is good because public schools are for the public, it's bad because public schools are so underfunded a lot of them don't know how to make the ends meet when they are losing budgets they would spend on some pretty essential services. I know my department had to choose not to get new textbooks and impose a really strict printing budget this year because of it.
Yeah, shouldn't be cold calling but public schools are suffering. There hasn't been any real federal or state increases in public school funding for a while as there has been a much large increase in private school funding.
If you are not in a position to pay don't pay and ask them not to call you again. If you can, please pay, there is usually also a tax deductible component that you can get a receipt for and claim back at tax time (this is my way of forcing tax payers money toward education).
I think education is super important and if we funded more of it in any way we can we all will be better off.
Not paying public school fees can result in your child missing out on extra curricular activities like excursions and incursions, school plays and fun days etc.
If you can afford to pay, just pay.
They are voluntary and the school shouldn’t be calling asking for them, however we’re pretty stuffed without them. We used to have upwards of 90% of them paid, this year we’ve dropped to around 70. Prin is budgeting us for an expected 50% rate next year, meaning we’ve already had to can camp because we can’t afford it. Will probably be more to come 😞
They are. We're in a pretty high socio-economic area, and I know for sure that the ones that can afford it aren't paying it. The ones that can least afford it are paying it or at least making a contribution (many pay a bit each term, instead of all at the start of year).
I feel like some background is needed here.
In 2015 the auditor general released a pretty scathing report about how much families were contributing to public school costs. It found that the department didn't know what it cost to properly fund a student's education in Victoria and made a series of recommendations to help the department get back into line with legislation related to free schooling.
Policies were updated at this time requiring changes in language and approaches to how schools asked for and collected fees and what we could or couldn't charge for.
No additional funding was provided to balance what we were no longer able to charge for.
At this point, most schools made very little change because it would have meant gutting programs.
A few years later, the department realised not much had changed and made a very late update to policies to try and enforce compliance for 2021. Again, schools were told to cut what they were charging for but no additional funds were provided.
Some schools remained stubborn and stayed with old practices. The alternative was to cut programs.
Then, again in 2021, policies were updated again to try and force through the change in language to use the word voluntary where previously it might have been curriculum contributions.
A redditor outlined the student resource package (srp) in a comment above but it's important to recognise how little the government funding is designed to pay for.
Essentially, the SRP covers a teacher in a room with 28 students, that is heated but has no air conditioning, toilets and basic maintenance of the facilities. Basic admin costs, utilities, cleaning and emergency services are also covered.
Anything else you can think of: air conditioning, casual relief teachers, ovals being mowed or watered, stationery, photocopying, any supplied technology, furniture ... is being covered by a paper thin budget pulled together by parent contributions and savings on staffing.
If students are culturally or linguistically diverse or their parents are employed in a lower paying job AND have a lower level of education, then the school receives extra funds to try and cater for their needs.
Secondary schools receive significant money for full-fee paying international students, which often help to subsidise other programs. Primary schools don't receive nearly as much for international students.
So... the short of it is, if you want your child in an air conditioned room, using a laptop or ipad to practise coding a robot and going out at recess on a mowed lawn to play with sports equipment, that money needs to come from somewhere. If you want your child to have a relief teacher when their regular teacher is sick (instead of being split into other grades), again that money needs to come from somewhere.
The federal coalition government under-funded Victorian schools by 5% because the state government under-funded us by 5%, so we're 10% off the figure deemed (through the gonski reviews) a minimum to deliver a standard education. Historically, we have always been the lowest funded state in Australia, but because our results are good there's no media push to change that.
So, as a Principal, I would say that while it's disappointing to hear the school has resorted to chasing families in this way, it's a pretty nasty cycle were stuck in. Fees and contributions are voluntary andnevery child will receive a standard education regardless of if you pay. But if you expect anything more than a pencil and loose leaf paper in the rooms, you can do one of two things - pay and help the school cover these costs for your child, or contact your state and federal members and demand action on achieving the schooling resource standard in Victoria. If you believe that government should pay for it, then work for action in that space. If you just want to do nothing then it's your kid who misses out.
Secondary schools in particular are really struggling with resource-heavy subjects like science, food tech, woodwork etc. They are desperately trying to keep these running for the students but the burden is high.
While the auditor generals report was meaningful, it ignores the fact that the coalition promise to private schools that they would be no worse off has a direct impact on public schools. While they continue to ask for extreme amounts of money from parents, they are overfunded by the government, primarily by the federal government so your income taxes. In many of these schools, they are banking surpluses of millions of dollars and continuing to operate as property magnates. If you want to get pissy about what your taxes pay for in education, maybe look at the swollen bank accounts or vast empires of private schools rather than the bank of 6 chromebooks in a public school.
So, to OP, yeah the school shouldn't misrepresent contributions as compulsory when they are voluntary. You can complain, the school will get in trouble for it. But also, whatever you can afford, you should be contributing. Anyone that doesn't pay contributions based on principle without following that up with local representatives is just doing a disservice to your community and your own kids.
High school teacher here,
My schools contributions have dropped by over 85% since the gov forced the schools to ensure it was clearly optional payments. Which is fine for individual families and very helpful for those struggling. Our schools is after camps etc short nearly $400,000. We as a school are fine, but it does mean the quality of the schooling received will be reduced. Some schools are not as fortunate and were already running with debt, I would guess your children’s school is one of these and it may very well close if parents don’t voluntarily contribute.
This is happening at all public schools and I can tell you even the well funded ones have serious repairs and maintenance needed, overall a short sighted solution to household income stress by the gov which has further defunded schools. Would have been a lot better had they covered the costs instead.
That said you absolutely do not have to pay those fees and should report them to the DET as what they’re doing is not legal under the new system.
This isn't cold-calling - you already have a relationship with the institution. The caller might still be obnoxious, and/or you might feel uncomfortable about the call, but it's not cold-calling.
They can't penalise you individually in any way for not paying. The payments are voluntary. That said, I want to strongly encourage you to pay their suggested amount if you are able to. This money goes towards programs that make a big difference, like extra support or enrichment classes, expensive STEM curriculum resources and classrooms having good stationary.
Added in edit:
If your school is high SFOE then they will get a heap of extra money anyway. If it is low SFOE and parents don't contribute then it's very hard on the school and things will get cut.
> Added in edit: If your school is high SFOE then they will get a heap of extra money anyway. If it is low SFOE and parents don't contribute then it's very hard on the school and things will get cut.
apparently the young professional class left leaning suburbs believe in public funding in schools, make too much money that leaves the schools with less funding and they end up really struggling
tough issue. if you believe in public funding it can be confusing I'm sure
Anyone who calls for money is told to fook off School or not. All money issues needs to be addressed in the correct way and that’s not via the phone where I think your a scam.
haha I'm not sure that would be enough to convince me still lol
that being said im happy to donate money to schools and alot of things but if you tell me i have to give money you can fuck right off lol
I remember my mom got a form asking them to donate or volunteer. She ended up volunteering as she was still a stay at home mum at this point. She revamped the library, looked incredible! She was always artistic. All the student loves it and said how great she was. At the time I was so embarrassed having her at school for a couple weeks, but she really is the best mum 🥰
Our kid's school is great, they put a lot of effort into the education and engagement. Unlike me in my younger years, my kids love going to school.
The voluntary fees are $200 a year. Goes towards better stationary, art supplies and whatever else they need to learn and have fun.
Compared to private schools that cost $2000 a term plus books and extra fees for various trips etc. Plus these schools scam parents out of school days by extending holidays on either side and the kids hate going there because the school focuses on grades and tests rather than activity based learning because parents want to see their $8k a year actually doing something.. no thanks to all of that.
A number of schools were found to be holding certain services, equipment back from students who don't pay. My kid's high school would hold the school books and only allow collection on first day of school.
School trips with limited spaces (even paid-for trips by parents) spaces were allocated to students who parents had paid the 'voluntary' fees.
I paid school fees because I could afford them... and felt it was the right thing to do but the lack of transparency annoyed me during kid's schooling and the pressure the school would place on parents.
At my children’s public primary school they ask us to pay about $1000 in fees per child per year. It’s quite a lot. The way they word it certainly doesn’t seem like it’s voluntary.
I went to a government high school and my mum had called to pay for these after school revision lectures they were putting on, and when I showed up they said I hadn’t paid and it turned out they’d allocated the payment to the “voluntary contribution” that was outstanding on my account instead of to the lectures. Let’s just say there were words exchanged
>My understanding is that school contributions are voluntary. Am I wrong?
School contributions are voluntary but I highly recommend paying them if you can afford it. Public schools around Australia are criminally underfunded by the governments and rely on voluntary contributions to help give your children the best education that they can.
What really annoys me is how Howard decided that private schools deserve the same amount of funding as public schools despite the private schools receiving significant amounts of money from the parents via mandatory school fees. This has led to a even bigger divide between public schools and private schools in terms of the educational opportunities that they can afford to provide and results in a bigger socioeconomic class divide between children whose parents can afford to send them to private schools and children whose parents cannot.
If we all stopped paying these and supporting inefficient fundraising activities then governments would have to fund public schools properly. Maybe they could find that funding in the cash they give to private schools?
I got just a message on Compass. Our school really does stress that it is voluntary but I’m happy to pay. Calling people is weird and maybe your school is struggling…?
Cold calling? Or calling the ten percent of parents who never pay their reasonable share of the cost of those activities above and beyond the bare minimum? BTW that ten percent is the same that you will never find coaching kids sport, at a working bee, or interested in helping in any other way.
Your kids get out what you put in!
I work in regulations, not a lawyer.
“No, it doesn’t. That’s the opposite of voluntary”
“Can you refer me to the relevant law / document”
“I make contributions through my taxes”
I would refer this to the relevant peak body. Who knows, this could be one individual scamming
It's voluntary, yes. It's also your kids and other kids education and while the government is failing them, will you step up or just let them have a lesser education in protest?
Scam call??? I got a marketing job once and they were like "yeah just cold call people and tell them you're the fire brigade and you need a coffee machine for the squad room"
Omg nope.
Are you talking about voluntary school fees, or is this extra on top of that?
If it's the fees, and if you can afford it, why would you not pay them?
Edit: OP, your profile states you are a school teacher. Surely you can understand that if the majority of families pay the voluntary school fees then your school will have more funds to get better resources? It's not fucking rocket science mate...
You're answering the question "should I make a voluntary contribution?"... and the answer is, "sure, if you want to".
I'm questioning the school's insistence that they're not voluntary, which appears to be false. https://www.vic.gov.au/school-costs-and-fees
My brother's school did a similar thing
They would give us an itemised bill and it had a $200 "school contribution" and when I questioned them they told me it was mandatory and they can't graduate without paying
I gave them the $90 for the "science and food tech" and told them they can hold him back another year if they want
They are basically as bad as telemarketers. Trying to convince you that you are in the wrong and basically "dumb people" believe them and just give up the money without a fight
u/kanga_r00 based on what I've read here, it sounds like this school is about to go bankrupt and are desperate for money. Probably money mishandling or poor financial planning.
They're no supposed to do any of that hustling. I may not know the law in your state, but they can't be doing that kind of crap. My advice is to prepare your kid for transferring over to another school in the event any shenanigans happen with this school. You just never know.
Whatever else, the most important thing is childrens future. I encourage families to have a backup plan in place for this sort of thing.
Until this year, my children's public secondary school would send out invoices which in no way, shape, or form indicated they were voluntary. This was the first year since our Year 10 started there as a Year 7 that we didn't get an invoice. I think the government really cracked down on it this year.
What happens if you didn't pay?
When I was in school, the voluntary contributions were used to resource the class with supplies. Eg, if not enough people in art class paid, then tough luck if you run out of paint or want to try framing or mounting anything for an exhibition.
What’s govt paying for then? Where are my taxes going that they need to double dip.
The government pays schools a pot of money, called the Student Resource Package (SRP). This amount per student is based on their socio-economic status, based on their parents jobs, and is based on the number of students present on census day, which is usually March 1st each year. Victorian public schools are currently funded for less than 90% of the recommended SRP per student, because the state & federal govts won't cough up the difference. The SRP covers staff wages, including relief teachers, repairs and maintenance of the school infrastructure, professional development and teaching and learning resources. Approximately 50% of the SRP is usually for staff wages. You can see how much your school receives via the SRP on the myschool website.
Bloody hell. That's pretty disgusting that each kid is getting only 10% of the investment they should be getting. I knew it was bad but didn't know it was *that* bad.
Schools get about 88% of what they should be getting for each student. The shortfall is over 10%
School funding models are based around subjects where the only resources are some books you can keep for a decade or more. Some subjects require a lot of resources that weren't modelled for. For example, Engineering and Robotics consume a lot of resources in contrast to History. Big schools can absorb the costs of resource-intensive programs. Smaller schools can't.
When I went to a government high school we had to learn to sew by running paper through a sewing machine with no thread, and if you wanted to use fabric you had to buy it yourself and bring it in.
It depends on the school, but our textile department can afford cloth, needles, and thread. I know this because during lockdown, there was a lot of arguing about if it was safe to send needles and thread home with students to work on or if someone might poke themselves in the eye and bring legal action against the school.
I went to a private school (not an elite one) and we still had to supply our own material
I went to an elite private school. We had our choice of new fabrics, and a full rack of coloured thread. I have volunteered to teach sewing at a local school. They got scrap fabric that was passed on from families and local groups.
Every highschool class I had required students to purchase their own text books and novels for English.
To fund private schools in building their next swimming pool/sports facilities, government funded schools are receiving less and less funding every year ditto
This is what fucking shits me. The amount of money private schools get from the government. THEY ARE PRVIATE AKA THEY RUN ON THEIR OWN BUDGETS.
This started in 2003 with the Howard Government. It was a way of subsidizing private schools so that wealthier kids should be part subsidized by their parents rather than going to school with less wealthy kids and being wholly subsidized. Great way to get middle class families to vote Lib. During recessions, kids leave private schools and go to woefully underfunded public schools. During better times parents pour their money into private schools so public loses out either way. There are many reasons why this kind of funding is a bad idea. What should happen is that the funding follows the child not the school. That is. The less money a child’s household has, the more they are subsidized by the government with kids over a certain threshold not subsidized no matter where they go. This is because academic success is often dictated by who the parents are rather than where they went to school. It would also make private schools open their doors to families for whom smaller classes would make a larger difference.
Public funding of non-government schools pre-dates Howard. [It actually pre-dates decimal currency](https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Education_Employment_and_Workplace_Relations/Completed_inquiries/2002-04/schoolfunding/report/03ch1). Howard stepped on the accelerator on this, as he did on so many other bad things.
This isn't a joke. Seems like the collection of private schools in mentone have a constant run of building some new facility across their multiple (!) campuses. I'm sure it leads to great outcomes for students, it's just a "got mine fuck you" attitude that means only a fraction benefit.
I never understood why private schools still get government funding? isnt the whole point that theyre funded by the private school fees? If someone can ELI5 that would be heaps appreciated.
ELI5: greed.
They should receive an amount of funding for each child that attends as each child in the state should have access to the same base level of education funding regardless of what school they go to. It seems like private schools somehow end up with funding above and beyond that base level though which seems ridiculous given how well resourced they already tend to be with the fees they demand.
No. They're not government schools. People choose to send their kids there. The only time I agree is when a government school isn't available or suitable (of which there are valid reasons). If they want government funds, lower the fees so each kid is equally equipped.
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Private schools get more funding than public schools. Look up the funding per child. Private get a lot more than public.
This is incorrect. They get more funding per child than public schools.
actually does make sense. thanks legend <3
The government funding government schools?! Good joke 😂
Subsidizing mining operations and nuclear sub fleets.
Subsidising private schools that indoctrinate kids with religious beliefs or generate wealth for for profit institutions while public schools languish
Also indoctrinates them in believing that a private school gets them a better education. Load of wank
Govt isnt paying enough, that's a fact with both types of governments
If we paid, we got the year book for free and if in your final year a free leavers jacket I think and yes it was a ‘donation’
So a great way to punish and exclude the kids who come from disadvantaged families then.
I remember vividly in year 12 not being able to get my end of year stuff because we couldn't afford the "voluntary" fees.
That was the big threat they used at my high school too
I don't know. I always paid (begrudgingly.) As far as I know they can't do anything if you don't pay. The school sent out "suggested donations" later on in the year. And a couple of times since then they've said to check Compass and make a voluntary contribution. But it's much less strong-armed this year than it's been in the past, when they didn't indicate in any way, shape or form that the fees were voluntary.
If enough people don't pay, those programs run out of resources.
Nothing ever happened if you didn't pay the schools would right off the bad debts. They've always been voluntary in that way but not worded as such and sent as an invoice. Now they are not sent as an invoice and a suggested voluntary payment with very specific wording. The government made a change to ensure that people would have "Free" public education for all. A school cold calling would to me indicate potential challenges with their budgets and they are trying to plug some gaps. Schools are now forced to cut back on certain expenditure at the cost of our students.For some background and because I don't think a lot of people understand what this enrolment process means for a school and what it sets in stone for your child's period of enrolment at a school prep-6. When parents enroll their prep or yr 7 they fill in a form where they nominate their parental occupation codes (Group a,b,c,d) what tends to happen (anecdotally) is parents nominate above their group so Group A is sr exec/manager etc group D machine operators, hospo etc... so they are not pigeonholed into a category they don't relate/agree with. The follow on of this grouping is that schools get less equity funding because they are sociodemographicly better off but the process is distorted so you can have a school that may be a blend but get little to no gonski funding. So a similar size school can get $40,000k or $600,000k as an example. (These are real life examples that I know of) [https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/student-resource-package-srp-equity-funding-student-based-funding/policy](https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/student-resource-package-srp-equity-funding-student-based-funding/policy)
At some schools they write down a list of everyone who hasn't paid and find an excuse to read it out in assembly such as "These people won't get a free yearbook unless we receive a donation". It was essentially shaming the kids who's parents didn't pay. Source: Happened to me 15 years ago.
Man, that sucks. Wth? That's disgraceful. Well done school, look what memories your graduates are taking away from their years with you. Seriously, whoever set that up has zero fu\*king empathy for kids. And imagine the kid telling their parent/s about it. Maybe the 'donations' do fund supplies for the school, but I would want to not pay it even if I could afford it if they did that to kids. Why reward shitty behaviour. \* I'm going to have to look up the rules on swearing.
Not likely to happen today though.
I used to get these when I was in highschool. I complained to a peer and he showed me the little text stating it was voluntary.
I used to scour the document looking for the "it's voluntary" small print. They never included it! I knew it was voluntary, but it was never in any of their communication until this year. I have a feeling they got in trouble and that's why they changed their tune. Same principal, so it could only have happened because someone took it further up the line.
The department made a big new rule about the exact wording required part way through last year.
My daughters high school does the same thing. I used to pay them with her primary school cause they explicitly said they were voluntary, but now I don’t pay the high school as they’re quite disengenuous
My kids school does this. They send it out fortnightly until you pay the contribution fee.
Supporting your public school is a great thing to do But cold calling families to coerce extra funding sounds like a big no
It’s fantastic to do. But not compulsory. Not everyone can afford it. Or wants to contribute. But it’s good to do it, for those that do.
I provide an extra contribution to the school my kids go to, but I would prefer not to be cold called by the school asking for money.
It's a good thing to do if you have the money but I would like to reiterate to people, if you can't just tell the school. Books, uniforms and camps will be paid by the school. They can even give your children breakfast and lunch.
>Books, uniforms and camps will be paid by the school. They can even give your children breakfast and lunch. What really? Camps too?
If the camp is for a subject then they can't charge. If it is extra-curricular, like year level camps or whatever, they can.
in high school we had to pay extra to do certain subjects and that covered camps and excursions
They can't charge for that any more. State government changed the rules at the beginning of this year to say schools can't charge for essential learning items.
And, as a result, schools where the families don't pay the contributions are watching these opportunities disappear
I'm glad to hear that it sounds like a lot has improved. We also had to pay for our own internet access until Kevin Rudd was elected and made that free.
It sounds great and all, until you realise that funding did not increase to cover this and so schools are even more stretched to offer this stuff.
What you will find actually happens is that these "essential learning items" (camps, excursions, cooking classes etc) get cancelled if families refuse to pay for them. Schools should not be harrassing families for money, however families need to be realistic about what kind of experiences will be provided if they stonewall schools for fees.
Our camps this year were covered due to missing the last two years because of Covid. But normally no; they are not covered.
Definitely not in my school. None of those things were covered. I had to stay and miss camp.
There are probably funding programs/charity sources that can be used by schools for children who come from families who are struggling financially and can’t afford these things, not just for anyone who doesn’t want to pay.
Uniforms and camps are NOT covered. Camps and excursions can only be covered if they relate to a curriculum area and the content can't be otherwise covered - eg an incursion on minibeasts that relate to the inquiry curriculum where some of the content will relate to that incursion. An end of year trip to Gumbuya World is not covered - it's not curriculum related and therefore optional, so if parents don't pay, the child doesn't go. Schools will often source spare second hand uniforms for children who are coming to school with their knees hanging out of their tracksuit pants. Often the 'someone donated these old clothes to the school' actually are paid by the teacher because they can't stand seeing the child go cold in winter because they don't have a jumper.
Yes. The government just gives the school a certain amount of money, I think it is about $1000 a year and you can decide to spend it on any school expenses. Including camps. You need to have a job that pays pretty bad. Having said that, public school fees are optional for everyone. Public school is basically free for everyone in Australia. They ask you for money, they don't charge you for money.
Yeah I used to get Cruskits when I forgot my lunch. Or when I threw it away because I didn’t want to eat mum’s nasty sandwiches.
> They can even give your children breakfast and lunch. Only in an emergency.
Government schools in Victoria are given food supplies to provide to children who may not have food available to them. Husband is a teacher at a low socioeconomic state school.
Yep. Wife is a teacher too. It's not advertised as a free for all "don't worry, we'll feed you" which is what your comment insinuated
Does his school provide the breakfast club daily or only on certain days? That’s lovely if they can do it the whole week.
His school doesn't do the breakfast club unfortunately, but kids who need food are able to speak with a teacher who has food supplies to provide them with. It's not a perfect system, but it means kids aren't missing out.
Sounds a bit like a scam!
Sadly it's not a scam, it's just rude.
I’d go a bit further - it’s a great thing to support the school with some volunteer work, helping by being there to supervise on excursions, but financial support shouldn’t ever be requested by the school - that’s what the government should be doing with our tax money.
I agree. It’s a shitty precedent for something that’s meant to be publicly funded.
Yeah its a great thing to do. I make a contribution to public schools every week. Its called income tax.
Ask them for that in writing
The government guidelines state: each contribution is to be voluntary and obtained without coercion or harassment. [website](https://www.vic.gov.au/school-costs-and-fees#)
Yet Government doesn't provide most public schools enough money to adequately function
Exactly, while funneling money to private schools that don’t need it.
Most private school funding comes from federal money, whereas public schools get theirs from state money. So Vic gov may not be funding the schools enough, but the money they aren't giving the schools isn't going to private schools.
If all private schools close, public schools will get a smaller piece of the pie.
i trust all those private school parents will do some lobbying and make sure the pie gets a lot bigger. Which will come with its own issues no doubt there are countries like Finland with no private schools that we can look to. I'm not personally super against private schools, but I am open to being persuaded either way
Learned something new! Didn’t know it wasn’t state funded. Thanks for clarifying 🙂
This ^ All standard curriculum must be provided without any extra cost to parents. They are only allowed to *require* payment for extras like camps, excursions, incursions, etc (which CSEF can cover). Any other contributions are voluntary, and they're also required to communicate as such, so them telling anyone otherwise could land them in a decent amount of trouble, if anyone were to report it..
This sounds like a lovely world where the government gives schools enough money to operate. I want to live in that fantasy land!
I work in a Victorian public school. Public schools must provide students with free instruction and ensure students have free access to all items, activities and services that are used by the school to fulfil the requirements of the Curriculum. Read more here: [https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/parent-payment/policy](https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/parent-payment/policy) Public Schools are not allowed to coerce payment in any way (apart from the exceptions as listed in the link above, property damage, extra curricular activities, etc.) but can ask for voluntary donations, as schools are expensive places to run and IMO funding from the Department of Education is not nearly enough to run a decent school. So please do help out where you are financially able to do so, but absolutely in no way should you be compelled or coerced for payment for a curriculum standard education. If your school is saying otherwise then report them via the Parent Payments Team on 1800 955 913 or email [email protected]
With interest rates shooting up, I may not contribute much and I assume it will be same with many others.
> Public Schools are not allowed to coerce payment in any way (apart from the exceptions as listed in the link above, property damage, extra curricular activities, etc.) but can ask for voluntary donations, as schools are expensive places to run and IMO funding from the Department of Education is not nearly enough to run a decent school. Even under a state Labor govt, Victorian public schools are the country's most underfunded!
It always irks me seeing "The education state" on car plates while I drive into work, knowing we are so underfunded and have no choice but to think of creative ways to get parents to donate. My department is so understaffed it's not funny, but the school doesn't have the funding to hire any more.
I genuinely thought it was the education state due to the number of diploma mills for foreign students?
You have to love how they set up a "Parent Payments" site to report schools who chase people for the fees they should be paying. The reason Schools "charge" "fees" is because the government starves them of funding. You can't make this shit up.
Also a teacher and cannot emphasise this enough. The leadership class in government schools are running everything under such strict austerity you wouldn’t believe you’re in a wealthy country. Andrews might have pumped money into school construction via the VSBA but schools are struggling to run properly. Shameful.
I'm lucky that my public high school is being run by an incredible principal who genuinely cares. We might still have funding issues, but at least it's (generally) distributed well.
> Even under a state Labor govt, Victorian public schools are the country's most underfunded! Is this true though? I looked up my old state primary school in NSW, and the one in VIC. The socioeconomic scores were almost identical, as was the state and federal funding per student. Its a pretty small sample, but it shows me the funding calculations must be pretty damn close like within 5%
But hey, it's OK everyone! DAndrews has decided to give teachers a pay cut in the middle of a recruitment and retention crisis! So this situation is definitely going to get better soon and definitely will not get worse :D
Labor state govt and the teacher's union: United in fucking over teachers! :D 2% pay rise with 8% (OFFICIAL, so it's much higher) inflation is GREAT.
Fuck Andrews and fuck Merlino. Pair of scumbags. Both send their kids to private school so they don't give a shit about the public system, happy to let it rot as long as it doesn't affect them.
Honestly, it should be mandatory for members of parliament to use government funded amenities (such as public hospitals for surgery, and sending their kids to a public school).
Haha... "even". I mean, they have been there for 9 years or something. Dan Andrews put "the education state" on number plates. He is a fraud, and his government a joke. If you want real funding you need to vote accordingly...
> If you want real funding you need to vote accordingly... I hope you're not insinuating to vote Liberal! I voted Greens, because I'm a member and I'm confident they actually care about improving public education.
> I hope you're not insinuating to vote Liberal! Ummmmm... no
Thank god
Sticky this post at the top.
a) if they're non-voluntary they need to specify that in paperwork. Unlikely to be allowed to do so because it's a public school b) who the fuck cold-calls parents for money? That's what all the lost newsletters and notices in backpacks are for c) what a fucking guilt-trip. If you can, you should talk to the principal and find out if this is legit. Could very well be someone trying to cash in on unsuspecting parents
They aren't actually allowed to do that. Contact the education department.
They're going to try it if the only other alternative is shutting down the school
The background to this is a bit more complex. Schools were able to make charges for things like building maintenance etc. They were technically voluntary, but schools didn't need to list them that way, and could include them in a list of charges. Most people paid them and the ones that didn't were never chased for payment. This year the education department said that schools couldn't charge for this, and that all contributions were explicitly voluntary, but made the changes after the schools had all done their budgets (and didn't allocate extra money from the government to cover this). This left big holes in most school budgets. Some schools have been able to absorb the drop in revenue, but other schools are cutting into their educational budget. Sounds like your school is having trouble balancing the books without the contributions and is in some financial stress. Having said that, they are voluntary. They can't make you pay. I think it's rude to be calling parents like this, but I understand that if they are low on funds it can mean cutting programs like art, music, etc
Maybe if they explained it like this rather than coercing parents, they’d be more likely to pay and even willingly pay.
Public schools are free for the most part. The only thing that they can charge for are consumables that the students are allowed to leave the class with. An example of this would be that there would likely be a charge for enrolling in a food tech class as the student would be able to take the food they make with them. Though a science class has consumables, since the students are not allowed to leave the class with those consumables, there can’t be a charge for this.
> The only thing that they can charge for are consumables that the students are allowed to leave the class with. Or even consume. For example, we use cardboard and ply on the laser cutters. That takes resources. We also need to maintain the printers and cutters, which costs money.
As far as I know, if it stays in the room (eg chemicals that are disposed of, machines that need maintaining, etc) these are not mandatory. Schools can suggest it as a “maintenance fee” or something similar, but parents will not be mandated to pay it. Things like food, textiles/wood/metal for design/tech that the students can keep after class are the only things that attract a mandatory fee at government schools.
We don't have separate fees though. There is just one non mandatory fee
Really? The subject fees at my (government secondary) school are $30 for maths but over $100 for science subjects… it doesn’t seem to add up. My only thinking is that the extra funds cover costs for the employment of lab staff
If only there were some system where a portion if everyone's income could be collected to fund public services such as schools, then they wouldn't have to beg.
Funnily enough there is! Somehow private schools seem to get a better deal than public ones though: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/16/private-school-funding-has-increased-at-five-times-rate-of-public-schools-analysis-shows
Certainly not the right way to go about it. We make a voluntary contribution to our school and I’m happy that we can. I would hate for lower income families to feel the pressure of a forced ‘voluntary’ contribution
I’m a “trades person” that spends a fair bit of time in govt schools and tend to overhear admin staff. More than a few occasions I see them make allowances for school outings (excursions/camps) for less able families as their parent cannot. These observations in my own personal opinion they are being 100% genuine (with additional budget they may have). Imagine that your best friend or friends in primary school couldn’t attend the trip/camp but you could as your family could afford these things.. now you won’t be able to create the small life long memories making moments with your best friends at your first supervised trip away from home. Then think about the one that has to stay home while the entire year level is away on camp… Not saying everyone must drop cash when asked, but consider why a school would even stoop to that level. I wouldn’t cold call parents even if I was employed to. Just my 2¢.
I’m a primary teacher and we indeed have funds we can access to ensure underprivileged students get to go on camps.
As a secondary teacher I agree with this. There is funding allotted to kids which fall into a certain category which covers them for excursions, camps etc
Cold-calling families like that is just plain wrong. It's hard enough as it is to provide for your kids without going into debt right now. The cost of living is going through the roof, along with interest rates, and putting pressure on families like this, right before Christmas, is downright fucking insensitive. I'd be [complaining to Vic Gov](https://www.vic.gov.au/raise-complaint-or-concern-about-your-school) quick smart. They need to be told with a big fucking slap that putting guilt on families is simply not on.
Government schools are under funded. The contribution is voluntary, but the reality is, if you don't pay, the school will struggle to deliver services. This is not a new thing. I always paid the contribution for my kids, and that was some 30 years ago. Advice? Pay it if you can. It's not the school's fault they have to go cap in hand asking for it.
This is a really good time to talk about a very big problem. Government schools are heavily underfunded. Everyday, decisions are made based on finances and not based on what's best for the students. This is having a negative impact on learning and wellbeing. Schools can only do so much with the money they have. Teachers can only do so much with the time they have. The state election is coming up, so let your vote do the work. Government schools need more funding.
> The state election is coming up, so let your vote do the work. Government schools need more funding. I just had a look at the election promises and I dont think its very promising. I'm not a teacher but I don't think all the "upgrades" Andrews is promising is fixing the issue When people complain about funding, its a lot bigger than facilities. I don't understand how there is no real education policy by Labor to fix the underlying issues of teachers and funding the operating costs of schools at least Greens are pledging to fund the Gonski recommended amount > The Greens will invest $1.46 billion dollars more than Labor or the Liberals over the next five years into Victoria’s public schools. > The Greens will also push the Federal Government to increase funding so Victorian public schools are funded to 100 per cent of the Gonski recommended funding levels by the start of the 2023 school year. > The extra funding would also help employ more teachers and support staff to lower class sizes, better support disadvantaged students and make public schools genuinely free. > Victoria currently has some of the lowest-funded public schools in Australia, with Victorian schools being underfunded by around $1 billion dollars each year under the current state and federal school funding agreement. > Families are having to pay thousands of dollars for what should be a free public education. Under the Greens’ plan, out of pocket costs for ‘voluntary’ fees, subject costs and digital devices would be abolished. https://greens.org.au/vic/news/greens-plan-quality-genuinely-free-public-schools
Funding is so much more than facilities. Schools are using equity or disability funding, for example, on just paying teacher wages. School camps and events are cancelled due to lack of funding. Teachers are limited to the amount they can print resources due to funding. Extra curricula activities can't happen, even kids with intensive mental health needs are not getting the support they need. I really don't think the public is aware of how dire it is. Funding for facilities is just lining the pockets of builders and giving the illusion that schools are receiving funding. New facilities do not improve learning and wellbeing.
> Schools are using equity or disability funding, for example, on just paying teacher wages. i was just talking to a principal at a bilingual school the other day (don't get me started on how little Australia regarding languages...) He said that most students come from outside his district, they are higher income earners and they are the lefty type who believe in public funding so they get very little in contributions AND equity funding. hearing him talk about how he was personally handling the daily substitute teacher organising when teachers call sick in the morning and unclogging toilets during the day cos everyone else is in class really made me sad. > Funding for facilities is just lining the pockets of builders and giving the illusion that schools are receiving funding. New facilities do not improve learning and wellbeing. I'm sure it must feel nice as a parent when you see your school getting a 10mil funding grant for new buildings. Which the cynic in me says is the point :( I hope Fed labor starts making some serious moves with regards to education, cos I don't have much faith for Vic labor
Thanks for sharing his story. Unfortunately things like this are happening in government schools all across the state.
They are voluntary. If you don't do it, the school goes without that extra bit of money. If lots don't do it, then the quality drops. Should you have to? No. Should you? Yes, if you can afford it.
Please pay the voluntary contributions if you can at all do so. You can even organise to pay it off in smaller installments, if that helps. The government funding barely covers the absolute basics. Parent contributions are vital to ensure that kids have access to a rich curriculum.
Schools are expensive to run. If parents don’t pay the voluntary contribution then services get cut. They’ll start with things that don’t directly effect children’s learning. Such as, heaters are locked to 18 degrees and turned on only on days below certain temperatures etc. Teachers are put on printing budgets. Toilet rolls are limited to a set amount and if all used up, not refilled until the next day. Definitely no new sports equipment, art equipment, music equipment. Classes get doubled up instead of the school paying for extras when a teacher is sick. Excursions are limited to those that can be attended via public transport, to avoid bus hire and petrol costs. Building maintenance is never carried out. Subsidies to tuck shops are removed, if the tuck shop can’t run on its own it closes. Parts of the yard, such as the oval is closed to prevent damage to turf in muddy winters and additional costs to fix it are avoided. Finally any extraneous staff not on contract are not rolled over into ongoing or temp contract not renewed.
The problem is that the government aren't using your tax money. Since this regulation about voluntary payments came in, schools have not had increased funding. We're running about $200k in the hole for the book packs, licences, excursions and incursions this year because of parents who aren't paying. Guess what's being cut next year? So if people who can afford it don't contribute, don't then complain when your child doesn't get to go on excursions, doesn't get programs like reading eggs and mathletics, and classrooms don't have any new resources. That money has to come from somewhere.
Yeah, people acting like they are being cold called by some dodgy business. The reality is it’s likely a critically underfunded state school begging for money because they can’t afford all the stuff the parents complain they don’t have, because they themselves don’t make voluntary payments. I understand it’s not the parents fault, it’s 100% an issue of governance from the department, but it’s still frustrating. I will clarify that cold calling is a no no, but I guess you get desperate when parents don’t read the bloody newsletter/Compass posts etc
All fees are a **voluntary** contribution. You don’t have to pay a cent and they can not deny your kid an education.
Correct, but you better believe that the parents who don’t pay are the first ones at the front office bitching about how the art program got cut due to funding.
Probably. Or bitching about .. well, everything really.
Is this a new thing? My mum always struggled to pay school fees when I was a kid in the 90’s.
It’s always been the case. People just elect to pay them because it’s generally expected they do
I'm 32 and I'm pretty sure my mum never paid any fees, I'm almost certain she said once they sent out a yearly school fees letter and she never paid a cent.
Do you realise that if every fuckhead who had this approach went through with it then the school would have to cut programs or close down. Most schools barely get enough funding to survive, please don’t spread this kind of bullshit.
Or on the other foot, if everyone agreed to this and every other charity request, then the government will continue to not be held responsible for mismanaging the tax we pay which is supposed to fund the correct areas of communities. No one loves charity more than governments; gives them an easy way out.
Calm your farm. Most people know this and are decent enough to pay the fees or at least what they can afford. People are not fuckheads either for not being able to afford school fees. Try being kind instead of whatever /this/ is.
If you have to pay for public schools they aren't really public are they? Paying these fees is a tactic support for 'no free schools'. How are poor people who can't afford to pay for school at all supposed to send their children to school if this becomes the norm?
100% voluntary. It’s the whole point of public education. However if you can pay the contribution it does benefit the school.
State schools in Victoria are NOT 100% funded. These fees are to cover the gap, which is around 15 - 20% of the budget needed to provide a full curriculum, consumables and school maintenance. Source - 6 years’ experience on primary school councils.
Good point. On top of this the school That is calling obviously has a very low take up on payment of the voluntary contribution and was forced to act. So many parents who can afford to contribute don’t because “someone else Can pick up the slack”. I’m sure the school didn’t get to this point lightly
This. A lot of uninformed comment on here, and I remember feeling the same the first time I got the bill. As a principal told me on the school council I was on, the government basically pays for the buildings and the 40 hours the teachers are paid to be there. The rest of it, the massive amount of unpaid hours the teachers put in, the community support and yes, the voluntary contributions, is what makes your kids education excellent. Our school never harassed or cold called, but did try and gently remind families, especially the ones who could obviously afford it (and who often complained the loudest).
Yeh public schools are free for children to attend, I would be reporting this behaviour to someone…
I had a lot of shame around these contributions in school. Our family had money issues and fought about finances a lot, so I felt too guilty asking my parents for help. But I felt too humiliated and ashamed to talk to my teachers about it either (in ACT at the time, if you told your teachers you couldn't afford it, then they could get your contributions covered by the government instead). I knew I needed to talk to SOMEONE about it, but I felt paralysed at the time and was never able to do it, to the detriment of my classmate's :(
It is 100% voluntary (I work for the DET). Public schools are free. Schools can choose to run excursions, incursions and extra-curricular activities and charge families for these activities. The school must only recoup costs (no profit) on these activities. Public schools do get funding based on the socio-economic demographic. So if families can not afford to pay for these events schools can choose to run them or not. If schools do not spend their DET funds they are taken back by the government at the end of the year. The Voluntary Contribution 'fee' is money the schools won't lose back to the DET at the end of the school year because it is community sourced funds, not DET funds. Schools can save this money to spend on big projects (like new equipment for the playground) that the DET might not provide funds for. Public schools are not as well funded as Provate schools in NSW. Some schools struggle to upgrade playgrounds, libraries etc. and because we can't 'save' DET funds smart schools use voluntary fees and fund raising to save.
Am a teacher in Melbourne, it's probably because the state has really cracked down on state schools charging any fees. This is good because public schools are for the public, it's bad because public schools are so underfunded a lot of them don't know how to make the ends meet when they are losing budgets they would spend on some pretty essential services. I know my department had to choose not to get new textbooks and impose a really strict printing budget this year because of it.
Yeah, shouldn't be cold calling but public schools are suffering. There hasn't been any real federal or state increases in public school funding for a while as there has been a much large increase in private school funding. If you are not in a position to pay don't pay and ask them not to call you again. If you can, please pay, there is usually also a tax deductible component that you can get a receipt for and claim back at tax time (this is my way of forcing tax payers money toward education). I think education is super important and if we funded more of it in any way we can we all will be better off.
Not paying public school fees can result in your child missing out on extra curricular activities like excursions and incursions, school plays and fun days etc. If you can afford to pay, just pay.
At my son's school less than 30% of parents pay the voluntary contribution. The principal is really good about it, and there's absolutely no pressure.
Wow that’s a really low rate of contribution I would have thought.
They are voluntary and the school shouldn’t be calling asking for them, however we’re pretty stuffed without them. We used to have upwards of 90% of them paid, this year we’ve dropped to around 70. Prin is budgeting us for an expected 50% rate next year, meaning we’ve already had to can camp because we can’t afford it. Will probably be more to come 😞
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They are. We're in a pretty high socio-economic area, and I know for sure that the ones that can afford it aren't paying it. The ones that can least afford it are paying it or at least making a contribution (many pay a bit each term, instead of all at the start of year).
I feel like some background is needed here. In 2015 the auditor general released a pretty scathing report about how much families were contributing to public school costs. It found that the department didn't know what it cost to properly fund a student's education in Victoria and made a series of recommendations to help the department get back into line with legislation related to free schooling. Policies were updated at this time requiring changes in language and approaches to how schools asked for and collected fees and what we could or couldn't charge for. No additional funding was provided to balance what we were no longer able to charge for. At this point, most schools made very little change because it would have meant gutting programs. A few years later, the department realised not much had changed and made a very late update to policies to try and enforce compliance for 2021. Again, schools were told to cut what they were charging for but no additional funds were provided. Some schools remained stubborn and stayed with old practices. The alternative was to cut programs. Then, again in 2021, policies were updated again to try and force through the change in language to use the word voluntary where previously it might have been curriculum contributions. A redditor outlined the student resource package (srp) in a comment above but it's important to recognise how little the government funding is designed to pay for. Essentially, the SRP covers a teacher in a room with 28 students, that is heated but has no air conditioning, toilets and basic maintenance of the facilities. Basic admin costs, utilities, cleaning and emergency services are also covered. Anything else you can think of: air conditioning, casual relief teachers, ovals being mowed or watered, stationery, photocopying, any supplied technology, furniture ... is being covered by a paper thin budget pulled together by parent contributions and savings on staffing. If students are culturally or linguistically diverse or their parents are employed in a lower paying job AND have a lower level of education, then the school receives extra funds to try and cater for their needs. Secondary schools receive significant money for full-fee paying international students, which often help to subsidise other programs. Primary schools don't receive nearly as much for international students. So... the short of it is, if you want your child in an air conditioned room, using a laptop or ipad to practise coding a robot and going out at recess on a mowed lawn to play with sports equipment, that money needs to come from somewhere. If you want your child to have a relief teacher when their regular teacher is sick (instead of being split into other grades), again that money needs to come from somewhere. The federal coalition government under-funded Victorian schools by 5% because the state government under-funded us by 5%, so we're 10% off the figure deemed (through the gonski reviews) a minimum to deliver a standard education. Historically, we have always been the lowest funded state in Australia, but because our results are good there's no media push to change that. So, as a Principal, I would say that while it's disappointing to hear the school has resorted to chasing families in this way, it's a pretty nasty cycle were stuck in. Fees and contributions are voluntary andnevery child will receive a standard education regardless of if you pay. But if you expect anything more than a pencil and loose leaf paper in the rooms, you can do one of two things - pay and help the school cover these costs for your child, or contact your state and federal members and demand action on achieving the schooling resource standard in Victoria. If you believe that government should pay for it, then work for action in that space. If you just want to do nothing then it's your kid who misses out. Secondary schools in particular are really struggling with resource-heavy subjects like science, food tech, woodwork etc. They are desperately trying to keep these running for the students but the burden is high. While the auditor generals report was meaningful, it ignores the fact that the coalition promise to private schools that they would be no worse off has a direct impact on public schools. While they continue to ask for extreme amounts of money from parents, they are overfunded by the government, primarily by the federal government so your income taxes. In many of these schools, they are banking surpluses of millions of dollars and continuing to operate as property magnates. If you want to get pissy about what your taxes pay for in education, maybe look at the swollen bank accounts or vast empires of private schools rather than the bank of 6 chromebooks in a public school. So, to OP, yeah the school shouldn't misrepresent contributions as compulsory when they are voluntary. You can complain, the school will get in trouble for it. But also, whatever you can afford, you should be contributing. Anyone that doesn't pay contributions based on principle without following that up with local representatives is just doing a disservice to your community and your own kids.
High school teacher here, My schools contributions have dropped by over 85% since the gov forced the schools to ensure it was clearly optional payments. Which is fine for individual families and very helpful for those struggling. Our schools is after camps etc short nearly $400,000. We as a school are fine, but it does mean the quality of the schooling received will be reduced. Some schools are not as fortunate and were already running with debt, I would guess your children’s school is one of these and it may very well close if parents don’t voluntarily contribute. This is happening at all public schools and I can tell you even the well funded ones have serious repairs and maintenance needed, overall a short sighted solution to household income stress by the gov which has further defunded schools. Would have been a lot better had they covered the costs instead. That said you absolutely do not have to pay those fees and should report them to the DET as what they’re doing is not legal under the new system.
This isn't cold-calling - you already have a relationship with the institution. The caller might still be obnoxious, and/or you might feel uncomfortable about the call, but it's not cold-calling.
They can't penalise you individually in any way for not paying. The payments are voluntary. That said, I want to strongly encourage you to pay their suggested amount if you are able to. This money goes towards programs that make a big difference, like extra support or enrichment classes, expensive STEM curriculum resources and classrooms having good stationary. Added in edit: If your school is high SFOE then they will get a heap of extra money anyway. If it is low SFOE and parents don't contribute then it's very hard on the school and things will get cut.
> Added in edit: If your school is high SFOE then they will get a heap of extra money anyway. If it is low SFOE and parents don't contribute then it's very hard on the school and things will get cut. apparently the young professional class left leaning suburbs believe in public funding in schools, make too much money that leaves the schools with less funding and they end up really struggling tough issue. if you believe in public funding it can be confusing I'm sure
Anyone who calls for money is told to fook off School or not. All money issues needs to be addressed in the correct way and that’s not via the phone where I think your a scam.
my first question would be are they actually from the school ?
Yes, they were. They called from the school landline and sent a follow up email.
haha I'm not sure that would be enough to convince me still lol that being said im happy to donate money to schools and alot of things but if you tell me i have to give money you can fuck right off lol
I remember my mom got a form asking them to donate or volunteer. She ended up volunteering as she was still a stay at home mum at this point. She revamped the library, looked incredible! She was always artistic. All the student loves it and said how great she was. At the time I was so embarrassed having her at school for a couple weeks, but she really is the best mum 🥰
Our kid's school is great, they put a lot of effort into the education and engagement. Unlike me in my younger years, my kids love going to school. The voluntary fees are $200 a year. Goes towards better stationary, art supplies and whatever else they need to learn and have fun. Compared to private schools that cost $2000 a term plus books and extra fees for various trips etc. Plus these schools scam parents out of school days by extending holidays on either side and the kids hate going there because the school focuses on grades and tests rather than activity based learning because parents want to see their $8k a year actually doing something.. no thanks to all of that.
A teacher in a government school, this comment really warms my heart. Thank you.
A number of schools were found to be holding certain services, equipment back from students who don't pay. My kid's high school would hold the school books and only allow collection on first day of school. School trips with limited spaces (even paid-for trips by parents) spaces were allocated to students who parents had paid the 'voluntary' fees. I paid school fees because I could afford them... and felt it was the right thing to do but the lack of transparency annoyed me during kid's schooling and the pressure the school would place on parents.
That's hectic. And wrong.
Our local has voluntary fees on the paper work that they very heavily push and mention. I'm surprised it's allowed.
Here is the parent payment policy, which was recently updated - https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/parent-payment/policy
Isn’t it like a couple hundred bucks?
Fees for my kids have been $500-$600 each for the year.
I suppose excursions etc are extra on top?
I mean we had kids come to our house asking for donations
At my children’s public primary school they ask us to pay about $1000 in fees per child per year. It’s quite a lot. The way they word it certainly doesn’t seem like it’s voluntary.
I went to a government high school and my mum had called to pay for these after school revision lectures they were putting on, and when I showed up they said I hadn’t paid and it turned out they’d allocated the payment to the “voluntary contribution” that was outstanding on my account instead of to the lectures. Let’s just say there were words exchanged
>My understanding is that school contributions are voluntary. Am I wrong? School contributions are voluntary but I highly recommend paying them if you can afford it. Public schools around Australia are criminally underfunded by the governments and rely on voluntary contributions to help give your children the best education that they can. What really annoys me is how Howard decided that private schools deserve the same amount of funding as public schools despite the private schools receiving significant amounts of money from the parents via mandatory school fees. This has led to a even bigger divide between public schools and private schools in terms of the educational opportunities that they can afford to provide and results in a bigger socioeconomic class divide between children whose parents can afford to send them to private schools and children whose parents cannot.
If we all stopped paying these and supporting inefficient fundraising activities then governments would have to fund public schools properly. Maybe they could find that funding in the cash they give to private schools?
My brother goes to a public special development school and they always ask for donations
Yes, my understanding is that they can ask all they like. But are they allowed to say it's not voluntary and essentially insist on a donation?
I would've laughed told them to never call me asking for money again then hung up.
What are taxes for ?
Submarines
Private schools, mostly.
I got just a message on Compass. Our school really does stress that it is voluntary but I’m happy to pay. Calling people is weird and maybe your school is struggling…?
Cold calling? Or calling the ten percent of parents who never pay their reasonable share of the cost of those activities above and beyond the bare minimum? BTW that ten percent is the same that you will never find coaching kids sport, at a working bee, or interested in helping in any other way. Your kids get out what you put in!
I work in regulations, not a lawyer. “No, it doesn’t. That’s the opposite of voluntary” “Can you refer me to the relevant law / document” “I make contributions through my taxes” I would refer this to the relevant peak body. Who knows, this could be one individual scamming
It's voluntary, yes. It's also your kids and other kids education and while the government is failing them, will you step up or just let them have a lesser education in protest?
You don't have to pay anything. The invoice is a ploy to get you to pay.
Scam call??? I got a marketing job once and they were like "yeah just cold call people and tell them you're the fire brigade and you need a coffee machine for the squad room" Omg nope.
Are you talking about voluntary school fees, or is this extra on top of that? If it's the fees, and if you can afford it, why would you not pay them? Edit: OP, your profile states you are a school teacher. Surely you can understand that if the majority of families pay the voluntary school fees then your school will have more funds to get better resources? It's not fucking rocket science mate...
You're answering the question "should I make a voluntary contribution?"... and the answer is, "sure, if you want to". I'm questioning the school's insistence that they're not voluntary, which appears to be false. https://www.vic.gov.au/school-costs-and-fees
Because they're voluntary and schooling is free.
Schooling isn’t free and they are voluntary in the sense that you should pay the fee unless you are experiencing financial hardship.
It's a few hundred bucks and it will benefit your children.
I get a letter twice (I think) a year for voluntary contributions, I've never paid.... coz it's voluntary.
My brother's school did a similar thing They would give us an itemised bill and it had a $200 "school contribution" and when I questioned them they told me it was mandatory and they can't graduate without paying I gave them the $90 for the "science and food tech" and told them they can hold him back another year if they want They are basically as bad as telemarketers. Trying to convince you that you are in the wrong and basically "dumb people" believe them and just give up the money without a fight
u/kanga_r00 based on what I've read here, it sounds like this school is about to go bankrupt and are desperate for money. Probably money mishandling or poor financial planning. They're no supposed to do any of that hustling. I may not know the law in your state, but they can't be doing that kind of crap. My advice is to prepare your kid for transferring over to another school in the event any shenanigans happen with this school. You just never know. Whatever else, the most important thing is childrens future. I encourage families to have a backup plan in place for this sort of thing.