'Voluntary' fees to pay for soap, toilet paper and first aid

2nd February 2010

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/voluntary-fees-to-pay-for-soap-toilet-paper-and-first-aid/story-e6frf7jo-1225824150023

The Herald Sun can reveal parents are being slugged for "essential education items" before their children have started school.

Outraged families at Mount Martha Primary School this week were hit with a $325 fee, which includes a $60 "voluntary" payment for use of the school oval.

It comes as the My Schools website, which will allow parents to compare schools, went into meltdown ahead of today's launch.

A furious State Opposition said the school's need to charge for such basic items stemmed from a decade of neglect under the Labor government.

Parents of children at Victorian state schools face a $200 compulsory payment to cover "essential education items" ranging from tissues and hygiene materials such as toilet rolls and band aids.

Parents Victoria president Elaine Crowley said items such as toilet rolls and school oval maintenance should be covered by government funding.

"This is bizarre. Individual families should not have to cover these costs," she said.

"Using the footy oval for PE is part of the curriculum and therefore should come from cash provided by the state."

One Mount Martha school parent, who did not want to be named, said he would refuse to pay the fee for the third year in a row.

"The reason I won't pay it is because I don't believe the school is offering a good enough service," he said.

"I was a very disgruntled parent and said, 'Here's your bill I'm not paying it'. They can keep sending it. I won't be paying it.

"Tissues and toilet paper ... it doesn't surprise me it is something the school is trying. I just don't think the school handles government money properly and as a result the parents are copping it."

Another parent, who also did not want to be named, said families were swamped with extra school fees.

"It's getting more expensive. Each year there seems to be a little bit more," the parent said.

The mum, whose 11-year-old enjoys sport, said an extra fee for an oval project was also hard to stomach.

"A lot of families would struggle to pay for uniforms and so on, to outfit their kids," she said.

"I think they (the State Government) should ... put in more money to cover those areas. Someone's got to pay for it and I would rather the school spend more money on equipment and so on."

Taxpayer-funded state schools netted a staggering $168 million in voluntary fees in 2006 to cover the cost of "essential education items'' such as books, rulers and art materials.

It is three times more than parents contributed in 2004.

Opposition Education spokesman Martin Dixon blasted the Brumby government for spending millions of taxpayer dollars on fairy lights for the West Gate Bridge and self-promoting ads but leaves schools to beg parents for money to pay for toilet paper, soap and band aids.

"Our teachers and principals work very hard, but ten years of Labor's incompetence has resulted in severe under-funding of our schools,'' Mr Dixon.

"After a decade of John Brumby putting Victorian families under real pressure with increased taxes, power and water bills, schools are now so strapped for cash that parents have to pay for toilet paper, soap and band aids.''

Parents at the Mount Martha school also face a $65 charge for IT and multimedia.

A Government spokesman last night claimed a mistake had been made at Mt Martha and officials were working to clarify the issue.

"Items such as toilet paper, soap and first aid materials should not be included," he said.

This comes as Federal Education Minister Julia Gillard's much-hyped My Schools website went into meltdown this morning, only hours after its launch.

Victorian principals were furious after being left unable to access the site for hours. And even when a small number got online they were granted only limited access to their own schools information not rivals.

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