Dear Parents, next week is our annual disco, please pay upfront $5 per family member attending. *And then once there, buy the drinks you need to consume in order to survive the night for an exorbitant price.
Dear Parents, please bring $5 per student for materials to make a mother’s day gift.
Repeat for Father’s Day.
Dear Parents, please pay $70 per child in voluntary contribution fees.
Dear Parents, this year we have decided to outsource the teaching of some *lame-ass dance moves for our annual Christmas concert to a third party, please pay $28 immediately.
Dear Parents, please don’t forget that tomorrow is free dress day, please bring a gold coin donation.
Dear Parents, as a fundraiser for our P&C please buy a tray of mangoes for $20 and *bully your friends, family, and neighbours into doing the same.
Dear Parents, next week is our annual Art Show. The cost of this event is $5 per person. Each child has a piece of work that is available to purchase for $20. You do not have to attend the Art Show to purchase your child’s work. *You do not have to purchase your child’s work, but you’d be a fucking monster not to.
*Some of these demands are paraphrased.
You can see where I’m going with this. This is a public school, and every bloody week, there is at least one of these coming home. And before I go on, I know that our public schools are underfunded, and I know they need to get money somehow, but it’s getting ridiculous.
At the moment, we are lucky enough that we can pay these fees. We can pay $20 for a picture our own child drew even though we get 20 of the same drawings every day for free. But not every public school family can. So many families are struggling to give their children the basics, to send them to school with breakfast in their tummies and lunch in their bags, without worrying about how they’re going to send their kid to the disco all their friends are going to, or how they’ll buy milk after sacrificing their last fiver for a Mother’s Day gift.
What is bird nest parenting? How do you raise a non-homophobe? Help, my kid is a biter. What did your parents do that today would be considered bad parenting? Listen to the latest episode of This Glorious Mess.
Some parents are working six or seven days a week in two or three jobs in order to keep their children housed, clothed, and fed, and simply don’t have time or energy left over to give half their weekend to the quarterly working bee, or their Tuesday evening to the P&C.
It’s easy to say “just don’t pay it”, or “just don’t volunteer for the P&C / working bee / serving drinks and food at the disco / sizzling sausages on election day, but the pressure is enormous. Not only are the demands coming home crumpled and smeared with vegemite in the bottom of your child’s school bag, but they get to us via social media too.
They range from “friendly” reminders on Facebook that some families haven’t yet paid the latest ransom, to the gentle suggestion at information evenings that children have better outcomes when their parents are heavily involved with their school.
If I wanted to pay through the teeth for a primary school education, I’d send them to a private school. If I wanted guilt, I’d send them to a Catholic school.
The odd fundraiser or volunteer request is fine, but when they’re coming on a weekly basis, it’s just too much.
Dear Public School, please stop.
Top Comments
Not quite sure why this post from 2016 has appeared in my feed, but so be it and I have thoughts to share. To be clear up front, I am the current P&C President at our son's public school so contributing at school is my choice. It does, though, give me some insight into the opportunities and limitations of the public school system. The curriculum is the curriculum. That's what public schools are obligated to teach - nothing more, nothing less. For this, public schools (in NSW at least) provide free education and are funded by the NSW Government for the delivery of the curriculum. With this, the Govt. is obligated to provide classrooms, amenities, appropriate staffing, safe grounds and the like - the basic services our children require to have access to learning. Are writing books, pencils, glue and paint provided? That's pretty standard. Does your child's class have air conditioning? Does your child love a particular sport? Is drama their thing? Music? Soccer? Netball? Art? Tae Kwon Do? How current are the books in the classrooms? An excursion to the zoo sounds awesome, and how much fun are swimming and athletics carnivals! All of these things generally fall outside of government funding. You want this for your children, then contribute! Fundraising is not about begging people to buy something. It's about asking for a contribution to something more than a sausage sandwich. It's about giving an hour or so to pack a few bags or uniform orders for next years' kindy crew, lending your professional expertise to helping with a grant application, or just generally making yourself available when your child's school is looking for a hand. What a great opportunity to meet families and know that you're doing a bit for the education of your kids (and those following!)
Our school asks every fortnight. On top of the school fees they already charge. On top of excursions, camps, swimming and incursions. On top of the tissues, paper towel and stationary. Every two weeks they ask for money for something else. It is not my problem they can't manage their finances. I am keeping a log of everything I spend this year. I want to know the cost of this particular "free" school.