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"Voluntary" Contribution - what do you pay?

  • 12-11-2015 5:32pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,404 ✭✭✭✭


    Care to tell me what your Primary School's "Voluntary" Contribution is?

    Please say if it's per child or per family

    Ours is €50.00 per family which I think is very "reasonable"

    Cheers, I'm interested to hear what the "average" going rate is.


Comments

  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,986 Mod ✭✭✭✭Moonbeam


    €250 every 2 years.
    250 is the smallest amount to benefit from tax incentives.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,404 ✭✭✭✭vicwatson


    Moonbeam wrote: »
    €250 every 2 years.
    250 is the smallest amount to benefit from tax incentives.

    Tax incentives?? Huh, not with you.

    Is 250 ev 2 years per family or per child?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,495 ✭✭✭✭eviltwin


    80 euros which includes all books and stationary


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,404 ✭✭✭✭vicwatson


    ^^
    Per child or per family?


  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,986 Mod ✭✭✭✭Moonbeam


    I think it is revenue CHY4 is the relevant revenue form. The charity that you donate to can claim back the tax you paid on it at the lower rate.

    Ours is per family.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,166 ✭✭✭Tasden


    60 voluntary contribution for one child. Think there's a family rate too.
    And they have a new online payment system- aladin i think it's called. Its great :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 68 ✭✭Athdara


    We don't pay any contribution just €20 per family per year for photocopying.


  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,986 Mod ✭✭✭✭Moonbeam


    we pay about 100 euro no top of that for art and photo copying for junior infants and about 80 I think for 1st class.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,166 ✭✭✭Tasden


    Yeah the supplementary fee in our school for photocopying etc. is separate to the voluntary contribution. Think that's 20/30.


  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 12,514 Mod ✭✭✭✭byhookorbycrook


    Worth pointing out that people should consider , if the VC is small, are there other fundraisers during the year?


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,033 ✭✭✭Call me Al


    €130 for two (the fee is capped at this irrespective of how many children in the family), plus €25 per child for photocopying, art supplies, postage, report and other miscellaneous.
    I think it's quite expensive.
    We have further fundraising on and off throughout the year, but thankfully it's not as constant as it was a couple of years ago.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,400 ✭✭✭lukesmom


    Daughter Primary €20 for photocopying and art
    Son Secondary €300 and that's just the beginning :(


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,404 ✭✭✭✭vicwatson


    I should have said that on top of the VC we also have a €70 book rental, arts and photocopying amount to pay


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 23,862 ✭✭✭✭January


    Moved from Parenting to the Primary & Pre School forum.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 199 ✭✭adam14


    295 taken out of account today


  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 12,514 Mod ✭✭✭✭byhookorbycrook


    vicwatson wrote: »
    I should have said that on top of the VC we also have a €70 book rental, arts and photocopying amount to pay
    But those are school costs not an extra cost called "voluntary" contribution.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,033 ✭✭✭Call me Al


    But those are school costs not an extra cost called "voluntary" contribution.


    We had a discussion about these extra photocopying fees at our recent PA meeting. Apparently they are also voluntary, but this fact is not explained on our booklists when these are notified to us.


  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 12,514 Mod ✭✭✭✭byhookorbycrook


    But how can this be voluntary when it's part of the book/requisites for the year? If all the parents don't pay for the photocopying, how is it funded? (Genuine query, not trying to be smart)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,033 ✭✭✭Call me Al


    But how can this be voluntary when it's part of the book/requisites for the year? If all the parents don't pay for the photocopying, how is it funded? (Genuine query, not trying to be smart)

    That very point was thrashed out by those of us (the usual few!) who were there.
    The point by one was made that many schools didn't have fees of any sort (vc or stationery), and that it was illegal to make demands on people for this money. Personally I also can't see where the money comes from for these extras that we take for granted if we don't pay for them.
    To get around it I thought you could replace it with specific stationery items on the book lists so that at least the bulk of these extras are covered. Although I agree there would be shortfalls on some things.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 79 ✭✭Spread the love


    I pay €70 per week for 2 days crèche fees at the minute. I look forward to the day I don't have to pay these fees although I think the crèche do a fantastic job. At the minute I work in a small 2 teacher school and they have extremely limited resources. Very limited PE, science equipment, library books etc. There are only 6 families in the school and money is tight. Compare that to when I worked in a huge 45+ teacher school. They had unlimited resources for everything and fund raising was ongoing throughout the year. Coupled with the VCs. I would rather pay money towards a school if I could see the money is being spent wisely. Why preschool is run privately but school onwards is state run is completely beyond me.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,178 ✭✭✭killbillvol2


    Call me Al wrote: »
    That very point was thrashed out by those of us (the usual few!) who were there.
    The point by one was made that many schools didn't have fees of any sort (vc or stationery), and that it was illegal to make demands on people for this money. Personally I also can't see where the money comes from for these extras that we take for granted if we don't pay for them.
    To get around it I thought you could replace it with specific stationery items on the book lists so that at least the bulk of these extras are covered. Although I agree there would be shortfalls on some things.

    Whoever made that point is spectacularly ill informed. Illegal!


  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 12,514 Mod ✭✭✭✭byhookorbycrook


    It's highly unlikely that charging for photocopying, book rental, art materials, tests etc could be deemed illegal. Yes, I know of one or two schools that don't have a VC, but then hold a lot of fundraisers, tables quizzes etc. etc.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,033 ✭✭✭Call me Al


    Whoever made that point is spectacularly ill informed. Illegal!

    I think this comment in the argument may have been in the context of this statement from the Dept of Ed last Feb

    "A spokesperson for the Department of Education said that non-fee-charging schools are not permitted to request payment, but voluntary contributions are permissible “provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no question of compulsion to pay and that, in making a contribution, they are doing so of their own volition”.
    Their collection should be such as not to create a situation where either parents or pupils could reasonably infer that the contributions take on a compulsory character.""

    I think Jan O'Sullivan may have sent out a circular or letter to all schools reiterating this at some stage?


  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 12,514 Mod ✭✭✭✭byhookorbycrook


    But photocopying is not a voluntary contribution, it's like paying for books.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,033 ✭✭✭Call me Al


    But photocopying is not a voluntary contribution, it's like paying for books.

    I know that. Schools won't function without money like this coming in from the parents.
    I am explaining an argument that someone, quite adamantly and assertively, put forward when the subjects of VC and stationery costs that the schools were asking for were raised at a PA meeting.

    These fees aren't compulsory.
    If a parent doesn't pay some or all of it there isn't a whole lot a primary school can do about it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,178 ✭✭✭killbillvol2


    Call me Al wrote: »
    I know that. Schools won't function without money like this coming in from the parents.
    I am explaining an argument that someone, quite adamantly and assertively, put forward when the subjects of VC and stationery costs that the schools were asking for were raised at a PA meeting.

    These fees aren't compulsory.
    If a parent doesn't pay some or all of it there isn't a whole lot a primary school can do about it.

    Agreed. But it's not illegal to ask. (And putting an argument adamantly and assertively doesn't make it accurate).


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,033 ✭✭✭Call me Al


    Thanks for clarifying.


  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 12,514 Mod ✭✭✭✭byhookorbycrook


    Call me Al wrote: »
    I know that. Schools won't function without money like this coming in from the parents.
    I am explaining an argument that someone, quite adamantly and assertively, put forward when the subjects of VC and stationery costs that the schools were asking for were raised at a PA meeting.

    These fees aren't compulsory.
    If a parent doesn't pay some or all of it there isn't a whole lot a primary school can do about it.
    Actually re stationery costs, yes there is, if someone doesn't pay for copies, art materials, book rental, the school could ask the parent to buy the materials themselves.


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