Seniors have been invited to discuss “the school’s strategic plans and gain international perspectives as we move toward the school’s bicentennial in 2031,” the invitation said.
Former heads of public education said the latest revelations showed the need for greater transparency.
“The last school in Australia to need $ 20 million a year in taxpayer funding is The King’s School,” said Ken Boston, who headed the NSW Department of Education during the 1990s and was part of the Gonski government’s Gonski funding review panel.
“How much more would this add to the growth of our national stock of human capital? And there is absolutely no responsibility for that waste, ”he said.
Lyndsay Connors, who has held state and national education positions, said “taxpayers had become shareholders in these private schools. We have a right to complete and transparent information on all aspects of their financial situation. , and this should include the salaries of the directors ”.
Former NSW Deputy Director General of Education Jim McMorrow said schools that receive public money should be “transparent about all their expenses, including principals’ full salary packages.”
A member of the King’s school community, who spoke anonymously, said there was “frustration and disappointment” among parents and staff about how school money was spent.
“Parents are really committed to the school and there are significant and immediate issues about where the spending is going,” he said.
One father said the rowers did sausage chips, raffles and auctions to raise money for their regatta trip. “There are people with a lot of money in school,” he said. “But there are a lot of people who work hard to pay the fees. The parents are [divided] about generosity. ”
This dad had no problem with the pool. “It is a long-term asset for the school. He lives on the premises. He is a bit like the prime minister, he works all the time, he works in the house ”.
Some parents noted that the trip to Henley occurred when the school was celebrating its first Gratitude Day, which is part of a new philanthropic program to raise community money for scholarships or buildings.
Others pointed to a letter sent late last year, outlining the decision to increase tuition by 4.5 percent and boarding by 6 percent compared to 2020 rates, after the rate hike would have stopped in 2021 due to the hardships some families face.
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In his final years of school, King’s costs more than $ 40,000 a year. However, the ability to contribute scores, which measure parents ’financial situation, based on data from the tax office, show that their families are not as well off as those from other paying schools. elevated.
King’s score is 117, which is similar to William Clarke College in Kellyville, which charges up to $ 13,800 in year 12, and Waverley College, which charges up to $ 17,400. The other Sydney member of the HMC, The Scots College, has a score of 147.
The school said it had received 47 letters from parents, all of them supportive.
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