[Jan Fisher]

There’s been news reports that an elite Sydney school has been ordered to ‘immediately cease’ plans for the headmaster’s plunge pool.

I’m sorry what? When did headmasters need plunge pools?

The term ‘elite’ and ‘exclusive’ get thrown about a bit when it comes to private schools, but in this case it’s The Kings’ School, Australia’s oldest private school, with fees coming in at up to $41,460 a year, so it’s warranted.

The Department of Education has begun an audit into Kings over possible misuse of taxpayer money after the school approved a request by the headmaster to have his own private pool. Naturally, the school has other pools of its own.

Surprisingly, parents also criticised the decision and questioned the school’s spending priorities. Good for them.

It’s a second strike for principal Tony George. He has previously been publicly criticised for booking first class tickets to the prestigious Henley rowing regatta in London for himself, his deputy and their wives. After public outcry he downgraded his tickets to business class and his deputy paid for his tickets out of his own pocket.

Still, one wonders why they even felt the need to go in the first place.

Just a reminder, Kings received $21 million in government funding in 2020. Imagine what a state school could do with that.

Do private schools receive too much of taxpayers’ money?

[Tis only me]

Disgraceful. This proves how out of touch and selfish these people are. They have absolutely no idea and no social conscience. I have always objected to my tax dollar being used to subsidize private schools. It’s a personal choice to send your children to private schools – tax payer dollars should be used to improve the public school system, not help fund elite private schools. Perhaps if more was spent on our public schools people would not feel the need to pull their kids out of the public system in the hope they’ll receive a better education, perhaps it would encourage decent teachers to stay in the public system. But wait, I’m hazarding a guess that most politicians’ children are sent to private schools. Like everything else in this country these days it seems the gap between the haves and have nots is widening and those at the privileged top end couldn’t give a rats!

[4b2]

Private schools should receive the same amount of funds as the public schools. That is the same dollar per head, no more no less. Apply the Gonski principal to all of the schools.

[Helen]

State schools are funded by the state government with some federal funding as well. Private schools do not receive funding from the state system, only from federal, and actually receive less per child funding than state school students. However the state system has a convolted system on where and how they can spend money for resources. An example of this was the ” building grant” for all schools some years ago. States insisted that schools used “preferred” contractors, while private schools could outsource to tenders. State schools were ripped off. This is just one small thing, but highlights the fact that red tape restricts efficient use of funds at state schools.

[Rocket]

I have never understood why private schools receive funding from the government. Wake up politicians, there are way too many Aussie kids reliant on handouts from charities through donations from the same taxpayers who are already providing funding for private schools. Why did we ever lose our free education system? Why do people who are earning more in 1 year than I could earn in 3 need their kids’ education subsidised?

It’s time to stop funding the privileged kids and provide this funding to the have nots so that we as a country don’t leave so many kids behind, pay teachers their worth, ban the use of technology of all types during school hours so that kids relearn how to think and solve problems for themselves. Engage our kids in learning like we used to be rather than having them skipping school and committing crimes to peak their interest. Give teachers back the pride they once had in their jobs when kids achieved their goals through interest and individual work rather than cheating with technology.

For a start, every private school seems to have their own private bus(es) on the road these days, whatever happened to hiring public transport? Try as you may you will never convince me this is a necessity for a better education, it is only an ongoing expense with continuing maintenance, registration, insurance, sign writing, fuel, and replacement vehicle costs for the school. Meanwhile public transport still runs but is not utilised as it should be, the use of which teaches valuable life lessons in itself.

[Mocha]

It really irks me when someone always says that private schools should receive no government assistance. ALL children are entitled to receive funding, but remember the private school system receives from federal NOT state government. The majority of people who send their children to private schools are not elite, but hard working middle class (white and blue collar) workers. There are very few elite schools like Kings College in the grand scheme of private schools. One person also mentioned the fact of buses – have you tried to book buses for excursions, camps, sporting venues, etc – I have, and it is not easy now. In the long term it works out much cheaper for parents and there is a dedicated service to rely upon. The world has changed much from the 60/70/80’s that alot of us lived through so sometimes we have to reconsider our thinking.

[Ron Mc]

With fees they charge they should be self-sufficient.
I also feel that the education the students receive is not necessarily better than public schools
and some of the behaviour I have witnessed on trains when I used to catch them from some of these schools is terrible. Which would seem to say the discipline migh not be upto standard.

[David Ryder]

There is a variety of reasons some parents choose private schooling for their children and federal funding should be the same for each child be they at a public or private school or even doing home schooling.
But no state funding should be going to private schools. State funding is for the public schools which have to try to educate all kids including the ones excluded from private schools.
Academically there is little difference between private and public schools, it’s a myth that kids get a better education at private schools. The smart kids do well and the dumb kids fail whatever school they attend.
The private schools generally have better student behaviour at school but away from school there is little, if any, difference.
Personally, having attended both decades ago, I think private schooling is a waste of parents money.

[ronloby]

These “Private” schools should NEVER receive taxpayers’ money because they charge each child to attend the school. The money should be spent on public schools. Doing so would help these schools have better facilities instead of rundown buildings and very little equipment for students.

[Author]

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