Volume 2 -  12th February 2004
Week 3 .... Term 1

Ph: 8381 7166
Fax: 8381 6041

Email:
hvsadmin@happyvalley.sa.edu.au

Website:
www.happyvalley.sa.edu.au

Inside this issue…
Time Payment, School Card, Child Ill, Acquaintance Night, AGM, Walking Bus, Newsletter, An evening for Parents, Swimming, OSHC, Parents in Theatre, Parent Club, Head Lice, Kookaburra Café, Thank You, Community News, Tear off slip, Term 1 Calendar.

School Materials and Services Fee Explained

Where does all the money go?
Thank you to all families who have paid their fees in full or undertaken arrangements to pay in instalments. We know there is a real financial strain on families at this time of year.  We do, however, need those funds as soon as possible, in order to develop and maintain learning programs.  If it is difficult for some parents to get into the school personally to pay, and you wish to pay by Bankcard, Visa or Mastercard, you can make payment by phone through Andrea (Tuesday to Friday). 

In an effort to keep parents informed about the operations of Happy Valley School, I thought it appropriate to share where the school services fee goes.

Late in 2004 the Governing Council set the school services and material charges at $221 per student for the 2004 school year. This is made up of $161 compulsory charge, a $30 school council approved component, plus $30 class excursion – incursion levy. Council also approved a formal time payment scheme for the first time made up of four term payments reflected in a formal agreement between parent and school and four invoices. I will raise this later in this newsletter.

The $221 equates to $1.08 a school day for all the services and materials access Happy Valley provides to students. The anticipated income of $72 600 from these fees is in addition to the $2.07M the State Government puts into our school as their contribution to salaries, facilities management and maintenance and student materials and resources. This may sound a huge amount of money but in fact approximately 93% of the $2.07M covers staff salaries.

To continue, the rest of the money, $191 (less than $1 a school day), provides Happy Valley students with materials for reading, maths, technology, art, science, music, German and PE equipment etc as well as maintaining and improving access to computers and other technology, front office equipment such as the photocopier this newsletter is printed on, a basic set of stationary items for students and staff and the considerable commitment of resources for the Resource Centre.

It also means that if parents only pay the compulsory component of the fee the school will have less to spend on buying new reading and maths materials or have older materials for children to use as we are not in a position to replace them as quickly. A couple of examples of this is reading books cost approximately $10 ea and so when we buy $5000 worth in a year it is little more than one book per child, the large number of our computers are 4 years old and industry would change them every 3 years and our photocopier is 6 years old and the replacement is $21,000.  This one item is ¼ of all the money we would receive from the fees if all parents paid the total including the governing council approved component.

In addition the annual costs for salaries, utilities and maintenance at Happy Valley is $2.07M. This is in addition to the School Services Charges for 2004. This provides you the taxpayer with the teachers, support staff (approximately $1.8M in total), building and maintenance to facilities, telephone charges, cleaning, electricity and a contribution to the purchase of learning materials and resources for the students.

What it excludes is such things as grounds and oval developments and maintenance, and playgrounds.

Page 2

Part or Time Payment – An Apology
As previously mentioned Council approved a formal time payment scheme, for the first time, made up of four payments through out the year.

As a school we have offered to parents this option as a payment scheme of $80, $50, $50 and $50 making a total payment by the end of Term 4 of $230. As a school we did this in good faith from the reflections and points of discussions, which came from meetings across finance and Governing Council meeting. It has been pointed out that no formal minutes of both these groups passed a motion reflecting what was described as a $9 late administration fee. Can I reassure parents that it is not the school’s or Councils’ intent to ‘rip parents off’ but a method of collecting funds, which is simply mathematical. For the school most materials and resources are purchased in the first half of the year. It means simply that if we are cash flowing part payments for parents we are eating into reserves and bank interest on your behalf and so having less money to spend on the children.

Not withstanding this part of the discussions within these school/parent groups an impost on time payment will not occur this year. If this has caused disquiet among parents, I openly apologise. Invoices for schools and materials fees will be sent home to parents with a 28 day timeline in the following manner;

• Term 1, $80
• Term 2, $50
• Term 3, $50
• Term 4, $41 (or the residual amount owing to the school for materials and service provided to the student/s)

As Principal I am very aware of the attitudes many Governing Councilors expressed to me at Monday night’s meeting and their concern of late payments for materials and service provided to student/s.

I trust this makes the Governing Councils position clear, the community accepts or acknowledges my apology. If you require further explanation please call into the office and chat to me.

Again thank you to those who have so promptly paid the school ‘material and service’ charges. For those who have not paid, we ask that you please finalise this account.

A reminder that the FINAL date for payments or making alternative arrangements with Andrea Roberts, Bursar, is this Friday 19^th March 2004.

Please remember that there is government assistance for families who experience financial difficulties.  As previously stated the 2004 School Card system provides assistance for educational expenses for full time students of low-income families. If you have been a recipient of School Card Assistance in 2003 you must reapply at the Office for 2004.  Friday 19^th March, is also an opportune time to finalise School Card Applications.

Materials & services charges (school fees) associated to the education of your child are legally enforceable under the Education Act 1972 Section 106A. I am hopeful the non-payment or payment agreements after the 19^th March would be an oversight and newsletter updates and direct invoices to you will serve as important reminders as non-payment or contact not received by the school will be referred to a debt collection agency. This is in line with previously endorsed position of previous Governing Councils.

The Council has invoked this provision of collecting debts reluctantly, as it is aware that involving debt collection services can have an effect on the personal credit rating of the person or family. So to avoid the embarrassment of demand letters from both school and debt collectors please contact us as soon as possible.

School Card
A big thank you also to parent’s who have applied so promptly for School Card.  It is important that all eligible parents apply as soon as possible, otherwise the school’s income is substantially reduced and you’d be required to pay full fees.  This is most important, in our Partnerships 21 school.  The 2004 school card system provides assistance for education expenses for full time students of low-income families.
Any family, who is the holder of a health care card or pensioner concession card and wishes to apply for the school card assistance, need only fill in a School Card Application Form available from the School Office.  If you have been a recipient of School Card assistance in 2003, you must reapply at the School Office for 2004.

Parents who think they might be eligible – Please check with Andrea if you wish to apply for school card as the holder of a Centrelink Customer Reference Number or apply based on Hardship criteria.

Just a reminder that next Tuesday, February 17^th. is Happy Valley’s Acquaintance Night. This event provides teachers an opportunity to meet with parents early in the year.

A creche is provided from 6.30 - 8.45pm in the Resource Centre, for parents who cannot make alternative arrangements and is supervised by the specialist teaching staff.  Bookings at the Front Office are essential.