School bansboys in hardline on fees

By ABI THOMAS MORE than 100 Whangarei Boys' High School students could be banned from their timetabled classes from the first day of school because their parents have not paid compulsory school fees.
Headmaster Al Kirk is taking a firm stance on the outstanding fees, some from the 2006 school year, as he tries to raise the money he believes all schools should be receiving from the Government.
"We either lower our standards, which we're not prepared to do, or we make the effort to raise this money," Mr Kirk said. "We're in the role of educating our boys as best we can, and we want to keep doing that. So we're asking parents to please support us in that."
A letter was sent in December to 200 parents explaining the school had about $20,000 in unpaid fees - either for materials or in the form of missing resources such as textbooks - which it could not afford to write off. It said any non-compulsory fees, such as voluntary donations, had been deducted.
The letter stated that if the fees were not paid by today, or arrangements weren't made for payment, then "there could be difficulties with your son commencing timetabled school lessons at the beginning of the year". The year starts on Monday for Year 13 students.
Mr Kirk told the The Northern Advocate that the boys concerned would not receive their timetables and would be supervised with worksheets in the school hall, appropriate to their year level, until their parents made an arrangement to pay fees.
The letter ended: "Simply put, the school cannot run if people do not pay what is rightly owed."
Around 55 students' fees have been paid up after 200-or-so letters were sent last year.
Mr Kirk said he neither wanted to punish the boys of parents who struggled to pay, nor have the parents enrol their children elsewhere in protest.
He said options - such as Work and Income NZ grants, staggered payments and the school's Targeted Funding for Educational Achievement grant - were available for families facing hardship and parents just needed to talk to the school.
Mr Kirk said that last year 90 per cent of fees were paid up by parents.
"So it may seem like 10 per cent isn't a lot, but when it's $10,000 all up that's a significant amount. What would happen if the city council only received 90 per cent of people's rates? It just wouldn't happen, the council would crack down on it."
Requesting parents' fees was to top up the operations grant given by the Government, which the school has managed to subsidise in the past.
"Even if there wasn't a significant government surplus, the need is there for more funding for schools," Mr Kirk said.
Mr Kirk pointed out the school was not in financial hardship as it had its own foundation base, a "savings account", but that was very much backup for regular operational costs.
The school actively sought sponsorship and grants, and the school sports co-ordinator was also required to approach pub charities and businesses.
"Last year our sports co-ordinator brought in $80,000 to go towards our operations grant," Mr Kirk said.
School board of trustees chairman Jim Smellie said this was a move to help out the school and the parents who did pay school fees.
"The 10 per cent of parents that don't pay are effectively being subsidised by the 90 per cent that do," he said.