We would like to provide an outline of our funding situation, in an attempt to explain why we are reliant on parental support and school donations, and where the funds go.
While our school is fortunate to be a Public Private Partnership (PPP) school, this model is restricted to the buildings and grounds and does not relate to our funding or resourcing. As a brand new school we are attempting to develop our resources from scratch. Our initial set-up funding from the Ministry of Education has enabled us to purchase only the bare minimum.
Te Ao Mārama School is classified as a decile 10 school (top 10% of schools in high socio-economic areas). This is based on the census, and reflects a number of socio economic factors that identify our area as one that is high in its ability to generate and access funds.
As a decile 10 school Te Ao Mārama School receives $420,000 less than a decile 1 school per year (based on our current roll). This amount would almost double our funding Government funding.
We want to provide our children with the full benefits of extensive resources, additional learning programmes and special opportunities that we can all be very proud of. This can only be achieved with your support.
The school donations are currently set at $140 for the first child, $120 for the second child, with a maximum of $330 for a family.
School donations are voluntary, but we would be highly appreciative of any payment.
This donation is tax deductible and a ⅓ can be claimed back from the IRD. The IR526 form is downloadable from the IRD website. Payments made prior to 31st March 2022 can be claimed from April 2022.
School donation funds are used to purchase sports gear, reading resources, library books, music and art equipment, & additional learning assistant support.
The only fee we ask for is the Student Activity Contribution of $45 per student.
The activity contribution goes towards the costs of equipment, experiences e.g. shows and concerts, and services that are extra to the school’s curriculum obligations. It also goes towards curriculum-based activities that involve a “take-home” component for your child to keep.
We also provide optional extra-curricular activities (on a user pays basis) that parents are required to pay for. These costs are always set at a “break-even” point. For example camps, music tuition and sports fees.
What about the Government School Donation Scheme I’ve heard about on the news?
Unfortunately, from 2020 the donations scheme was only made available to Decile 1-7 schools, where they will receive extra Government funding of $150 per child. This further adds to the inequity in our funding.
Please work with us to ensure that Te Ao Mārama School can continue to provide a quality education to all students.