I didnt mind being asked for the fee but what upset and angered me is that when I couldnt afford to pay it the school would send out a notice to say the invoice was overdue. Its Voluntary for goodness sake. I apid it when I could and and I stopped paying and decided to give my donations to the tuck shop instead and where and when I could afford it.
There is no free education anymore and with 3 children and all needing uniforms and school books and then it seemed that every week there was a note sent home for money. I gave up.

I pay my ‘voluntary’ fees but it’s a real struggle as I have four kids and our family survives on a part time wage. I complain in my own mind but pay them.

I think it is wrong to “expect” parents to pay “voluntary” contributions but it should be up to the parent and not a name and shame thing. Everyone has their own reasons for paying or not paying. I myself was asked to pay a voluntary contribution for a book pack – I refused and went and bought the items myself for a quarter of the price. So it can vary depending on the school and what they are suggesting the money is going towards.

I know a parent at school who brags about not paying her school fees because it is a voluntary contribution. To be fair, she makes some points about the ongoing levies, school fundraising etc It is a lot during the year for our kids but it does benefit them. I think people also forget that the Government provides funding for running schools but of course, having extra monies coming in from parents means they can allocate other funds to maintenance or upgrades.

Isn’t this the price of having kids. why would you expect not to pay for school? The government doesn’t always find schools in the right ways so lend them a hand in helping your child’s future

I agree. If you can afford to pay them, then do it. It’s only for the benefit of your kids ultimately

If they want these fees paid then they should change it to compulsory fees then no-one would have a problem. What I don’t agree with is having to buy uniforms where the school dictates from. As long as you can sew the school badge on and it’s the same colour, why aren’t parents allowed to buy them from somewhere cheaper?

Nothing in life is free and everything costs including schooling which comes from taxes. Schools are expensive to run and manage and every extra dollar towards the cost of educating a child is welcomed by schools.

Some fees do seem to be getting unreasonable and the price of uniforms alone are huge for kids who will grow out of them quickly. I’m sure people who can afford to pay them do but if they think they are unreasonable it’s their right to voice it.

I know a family who could have paid an excursion fee at the beginning if the year but was struggling so decided to pay for them when the kids went to the excursions. They kept a list of the fees they paid for each individual excursion + for which child, They discovered they had saved several dollars for each child. Voluntary school fees add up if you have 2 or more children at school. Some if you have 2 or more children at the same school ask for a bit less for the younger ones. A lot of schools now have fetes, + also quiz nights, pupils’ discos, concerts etc for which they charge an admission fee. I never asked to go to a school camp as I knew my parents definitely had no money to spare. My Dad was sick in hospital and had already used up his sick leave and annual leave. Centrelink hadn’t paying any benefit. Lucky we grew some of our own vegetables, had fruit trees and hens laying eggs.

I pay them every year but we cannot afford it , my two youngest are close to starting primary school and one school is crossed off the list purely because of the expense with the uniform before I even look at the fees

The SA system is great. Fees are compulsory but if you are low income you get a big discount. It covers most of our stationery so that takes away one of the stresses from parents and mean all children have the same.
They should have this system in the other states its the fairest and easiest IMHO.

When it’s voluntary, then each family is free to decide whether they pay or not and we should leave them making that decision without judging or ranting about it.

If it is a genuinely voluntary fee go speak to the school principal before you whinge and find out what it is for and then decide if you will pay and not increase the help to your child. Whatever you don’t pay has to be found by the P & C [which you probably also don’t support] or has to be done without. There are many who genuinely can’t afford a few extra dollars – but they will try their damndest to do so – they need help – the whingers generally don’t need anything but a very stern look or walk away from them.

It’s not a voluntary fee. Maybe it needs to be renamed under the guise of school improvement fee or something that easily identifies what the money is for. People might be more open to paying it then.

The school trips are expensive too! And the sport fees and uniforms.

I have no problem paying the fees but the endless drip of $2 extra for this (by 3 kids)’ and $10 for this, and $3 for that s PAINFUL.

I have always paid the “voluntary” school fees because I always think they are a bargain compared to non-government schools and I’ve always been happy with the education my child has received. I don’t have a problem with parents/caregivers who do not or cannot pay the fees because every family’s situation is different.

still a hell of a lot cheaper than private school fees! – we pay because we want to contribute and make the schools better so our kids get a better education

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  • • mom93821 replied
    • 05 Mar 2019 , 5:53 am

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  Exactly! It helps towards the education of all children and as a society we need every child educated and money is needed for resources.

I’m fed up of hearing this rant. My child goes to a public school because we can’t afford private or Catholic. Her summer dress and winter tunic cost almost $80 each. Add in the compulsory jumper, blouse in winter, sports uniform, stockings and tie and we’re forking out almost $600 a year on uniforms alone. Our area has such high demand for school spots that you cannot attend a public school outside of the zone you live in. On top of that it’s a couple of hundred dollars for subject contributions, reading eggs and Mathletics etc.. then excursions, fundraising almost every week. The extra hundred dollars in “voluntary contributions” as far as I’m concerned can get stuffed. I’d be more than happy to pay it if the information were affordable and we weren’t being asked to donate every bloody week.