The Knox School parents circulating petition calling for changes

Outraged parents at The Knox School are calling for changes after learning board members had pocketed more than $2m in the past decade.

Chair of The Knox School board of directors Wendy Lewis, OAM.

Parents at The Knox School are circulating a petition agitating for changes in the way their school is run, including an end to controversial payments for board members.

As the Herald Sun revealed in February, school council members have received more than two million in payments over the past decade, even in years when the school posted a loss.

Some long-serving councillors have received $300,000 over the past 15 years.

Comparable private schools do not pay their directors.

An electronic “call to action” is circulating among parents calling for the abolition of director payments and the election of two current parents to the board.

It notes that the board chair, Wendy Lewis is paid $30,000 a year and other directors $20,000 a year.

The letter refers to the Herald Sun article which it says “exposed several issues that are of grave concern to TKS parents”.

These include the director payments, the length of director tenure, the lack of current parents on the board and the lack of transparency over director appointments.

Former Liberal MP Cathrine Burnett-Wake is ‘a proud member’ of the school community and was shocked to learn of the remuneration. Picture: Jesse Graham

“Many concerned parents wrote to the Chair and Board following the article. However, the responses received by concerned parents from the Chair in the form of generic emails have failed to adequately address the substantial issues raised,” it says.

It notes that this response “demonstrates a clear unwillingness on the part of the board to actively engage with us”.

“We strongly assert that the payment of Director fees is not in the interests of TKS.”

It calls for the prohibition of director fees and an increase in the number of people on the board from seven to nine to accommodate existing parents.

Copies signed by parents will be forwarded to the board for discussion at the May 25 AGM.

Current parent Cathrine Burnett-Wake, a former Member of the Legislative Council, said she was a “proud member of the TKS community for the past 12 years and a parent whose children have attended TKS since kindergarten”.

“I was shocked to learn in the second half of last year that the Board of TKS received remuneration. This was a surprise to many other parents I spoke with as well,” she told the Herald Sun.

“The mood among parents is one of dissatisfaction that our concerns have not been listened to. As a result, a petition has been launched to call on the Board to abolish director fees and appoint two TKS parent members,” she said.

“As someone who loves the school and values its community, I hope the Board will listen to our concerns and take appropriate action to address them.”

Other members of The Knox School board include Ted Gale, Genia Janover, Craig Spagnol, Sandra Ball, Sarah Spencer and Ahmad Samadi.

Back in February, Ms Lewis defended the payments as necessary for ensuring a “skills-based Board willing to commit significant time and expertise”.