Susie O’Brien: Schools slugging parents with tuition fees amid coronavirus crisis is shortsighted and mean
Private schools hitting up struggling parents for next term’s tuition fees is just plain mean, when they should be taking a more compassionate approach, writes Susie O’Brien.
Susie O'Brien
Don't miss out on the headlines from Susie O'Brien. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Private schools are tightening the screws on struggling parents by sending out bills for next term’s fees.
It’s a short sighted and mean move at a time when many families are discovering their teenager who works for Coles 15 hours a week is now the breadwinner,
Let’s remember private school parents are not just the wealthy elite; many families struggle and work extra jobs to enable their kids to get a private education.
These schools are cashed-up from benefactor and old scholar donations – and raking in big bucks from state and federal taxpayers – but they’re still demanding parents pay fees on time.
Most send out letters acknowledging the difficult times, and expressing sympathy, but demanding payment anyway.
Firbank Grammar, which gets more than $4 million from taxpayers, $5 million from private sources and $27 million a year from parent fees, sent a letter telling parents the students’ wellbeing was paramount. So why don’t they care about the wellbeing of the parents?
Their fee letter says they are here to support parents but it still will be sending “term 2 invoices in line with the normal billing schedule”.
Parents “experiencing financial difficulties” can have a confidential meeting.
It’s absurd. Every day thousands of people are being made redundant, and millions of households – including those who could formally afford school fees – have no income coming in at all.
And these wealthy institutions are making parents come begging cap in hand for help on a “case-by-case” basis.
Their starting point should be a deferral of all term two (or term three) fees as a goodwill gesture, and waived entirely for those in hardship.
Those still in work should pay cut-price fees for the remainder of the time kids are learning from home.
Parents should not have to pay for sport, arts, music and extra-curricular activities that not running.
Firbank Grammar told parents it is “dependent on your ongoing support to keep it financially sound”.
What rot. It’s got an extraordinary amount of money.
It’s got $17 million in accumulated capital expenditure and in 2018 had a total income of $33 million.
Same goes for Wesley College, which told parents the “cost base of the college at this time is unchanged with any cost savings associated with reduced on campus activity being diverted to the preparation and transition to supporting remote learning”.
So it is unchanged or are there savings? Either way, parents and students aren’t getting what they signed up for.
The letter said that the school “greatly appreciates the efforts of our families in meeting their financial obligations to the College in a timely manner”.
“Doing so enables us to support, as best we can, your children and their ongoing educational programs.”
Sadly, some parents are more worried about how they are going to put food on the table or pay the gas bill than the “educational programs” of their children.
Schools like this should wake up and realise the era of plenty is over.
Their previously cashed-up clients are now applying for Centrelink benefits. If they don’t want to lose half of their students, they’ll work with all families, not just those who send in a plea to the “feehelp” email, like Wesley wants them to do.
Some schools, like Geelong Grammar have read the play and deferred fees for term 3.
Let’s hope other schools follow suit, or they will soon find they won’t have many students left.