School Council 2023

                                                                                                                                        3rd August 2023

Dear Parents,

We are writing to you on behalf of the Blackburn Primary School Council about the importance of making your financial contribution to the school via the payment of curriculum and other fees as suggested in Compass – Course Confirmation and Payments. 

While the Department of Education provides funding to schools each year on a per student enrolled basis, this funding only covers a portion of the core operating costs of running the school. It covers things like classroom teacher salaries, contract cleaning, gas and electricity, water rates, telephone, furniture, some repairs to buildings, administration, and some curriculum support. 

Department of Education funding does not cover additional special programs such as The Patch Program, MiniLit, School Librarian, School Chaplain, and things like replacement sport equipment, take home readers, STEM resources, shared art supplies, maths tools, and larger budget items such as replacement furniture and any upgrades to the buildings and grounds of the school. Almost all extra programs and resources beyond the very basic operating costs that make our school a special place for our children to learn is only made possible by parent contributions.

In addition, BPS elects to run smaller than average class sizes because research shows that outcomes for students and teachers are better when class sizes are smaller. However, the impact of this on the budget is significant. 

Some people believe that education should be free. However, the reality is that if the school did not collect parent contributions, it would very soon become financially unviable, or at the very least substandard in what it can offer to students and families. 

Being on school council provides a great insight into the operations and financial management of the school, and we can say with complete confidence that every dollar the school receives from parents is valued and expended strategically to benefit all students. 

Thank you to those of you who have made your parent payments already. Unfortunately, the current percentage of parent payments received for 2023 barely half of what it has been in previous years.

If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please contact Andrew Cock or Marianne Fusillo as there are options available to provide support. Payment plans are also available to reduce the financial impact in the short term. Otherwise, we encourage you to make arrangements as soon as possible to complete your parent payments via compass– both the Essential Student Learning Items and the Curriculum Support contribution. 

If you have previously made a financial contribution and wish to do so again, please contact the office to reopen your payment portal access through Compass.

Together we can help BPS maintain the outstanding quality of teaching and extracurricular activities which the school has been providing to our children for over 130 years.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss any aspect of the contents of this letter, I encourage you to contact me on Anthony.DeCastella@education.vic.gov.au 

Kind regards