Frequently Asked Questions
What are the school fees/donations?
Background
All schools are rated on a decile ranking system (scale of 1 to 10) according to socio-economic area (1 low, 10 high).
Chelsea School is a decile 10 school and as such has a much reduced funding entitlement. We receive an "operational grant" from which we are required to fund functional parts of the school – e.g. heat, light, water, rates, the salaries of all non-teaching staff, all curriculum resources, maintenance, capital purchases and refurbishing. We receive a token grant to fund the academic special needs requirements in the school.
Being a decile 10 school means we are ineligible for the extra funding which lower decile schools receive, e.g. were we a decile 3 or 4 we would receive approximately $38,000 in extra funding – i.e. $300 per child.
The Government’s reasoning is that in high socio-economic areas the community will support the school, but refuses to give us the means to enforce school fees. Thus we are reliant upon positive support from our parent body. If money gets tight then curriculum resources are the first things to suffer, as the bills still have to be paid. The myth of "free education" has been just that for many decades now and education is definitely "user pays".
For the past 11 years the school donation has been set at $200 per child per year and this is the mainstay of our curriculum resources. This donation is much needed and the Board of Trustees hopes that families will not rely on other families to subsidise their children and will co-operate with the school in paying the school donation annually. In order for your child to keep abreast of educational trends and progress, your monetary support is required. It is certainly not how we would like the system to operate, but it is the reality. Your school donation attracts a 33% tax rebate from the Inland Revenue Department, so please keep your school donation receipts and claim your tax rebate.
We request that all school donations be paid in February of each year, but they are able to be paid by the term if this will assist you. We also levy startup stationery fees in February of each year of $25.00 - $50.00 approx. (dependent on level) – these fees apply to all children.
If children require extra books later in the year, these can be bought as necessary from the school office. Receipts will be issued for above amounts.
