Some of Sydney’s public schools received more than 10 per cent of their total income from parent contributions and other private sources, a new analysis of school funding data reveals.
Top selective schools James Ruse and North Sydney Boys benefited from substantial parent contributions upwards of $2000 per student in 2023, the latest year for which gross funding data is available. The principal of Sydney Boys last month detailed the school’s reliance on money from parents as it faced budget pressures from both state government funding cuts and rising wages.
Hornsby Girls parents handed the school $2704 on average per student while it received $1000 from other private sources, accounting for 18 per cent of its total funding not coming from either the state or federal government, public school data provided by the Greens shows.
The table above reveals not only the contribution of parents and other private sources but also how much the state and federal governments provide per student at each school.
Across NSW, there are 364 public schools where parents and cash from other private sources constitute 5 per cent or more of a school’s income on a per-student basis, ranging from Kambora Public School in Davidson in Sydney’s north, where parents chipped in $1000 per student, to the selective Merewether High in Newcastle where parents paid $1100.
Tiny Pooncarie Public, with two enrolments south of Broken Hill, was the school with the highest gross funding per student; parents chip in about 1 per cent of the $278,000 per student.
The cost of voluntary contributions to schools has been in the spotlight.Credit: Paul Jones
School principals were warned last year against slugging parents for school supplies as cost-of-living pressures hit families.
NSW Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations president Aresha Quaass said her organisation had heard from families facing voluntary contribution costs in the hundreds of dollars, on top of payments for subjects, excursions, uniforms, stationery and extracurricular activities.
“Our members are finding that it’s a lot to ask in the current climate, particularly in our lower-resourced communities,” she said.
“Public education should be a great equaliser. Every child deserves access to a full and fair education experience.”
The federation’s chief executive, Gemma Quinn, said she had seen a shift in language after principals were warned against presenting parent contributions as mandatory. Quinn was previously charged a “scholastic year levy” of $244 in addition to a $75 voluntary contribution for one of her children.
The data comes after the state government signed a school funding deal with their federal counterparts, which will result in an extra $4.8 billion in taxpayer dollars flowing into public schools in the next decade.
The plan to increase funding comes after public school budgets were cut, deputy principals were forced back into the classroom, and some schools axed weekly interschool sports because they could not afford to hire buses.
Under the funding deal, the federal government’s share of public school funding will rise from 20 to 25 per cent, although the extra cash is tied to education reforms aimed at lifting student results.
The multibillion-dollar boost means NSW public schools will reach 100 per cent of the schooling resource standard – the amount of money a school requires to meet the educational needs of its students.
Education Minister Prue Car at the Sydney Morning Herald School Summit last month.Credit: Rhett Wyman
Asked last month what her priorities were for spending the extra money, NSW Education Minister Prue Car said a numeracy screening test trial would take place next year.
“Really, our focus is ensuring that we focus on literacy and numeracy, attendance, wellbeing, all the things that all the teachers out there know about. It’s actually not about reinventing the wheel,” she said.
Federal Greens education spokesperson Penny Allman-Payne said the deal gave the “bare minimum” of funding to NSW public schools in a decade’s time.
“Under the Greens’ plan to make public schools truly free, we’ll fund all public schools to 100 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard from next year and provide additional funding to eliminate fees,” she said.
“And to help meet growing out-of-pocket costs like uniforms and technology, we’ll give families annual $800 back-to-school payments for every child attending public school.”
She said in the event of a minority government after the federal election, making public schooling truly free and fully funded would be “on the table” in any negotiations.
Education secretary Murat Dizdar said every child in NSW had the right to a quality fee-free education.
“Public schools are funded by the NSW and Commonwealth governments to meet the educational needs of students, with record investment in NSW public schools this year,” he said.
“Public schools can request families make voluntary contributions; however, making a contribution to your local school is 100 per cent voluntary.”
With Mary Ward
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