KEY POINTS:
Almost half of Auckland families are not paying school donations, a Weekend Herald survey suggests.
An analysis of data provided by 100 primary, intermediate and secondary schools showed just 52 per cent of parents paid donations on average this year.
The study followed comments this week by Labour candidate for East Coast Bays Viv Goldsmith that she did not pay school donations and instead sent demands to Minister of Education Chris Carter's office.
"I think more people should take the challenge like I do and let the minister know," she said, while standing in for an absent Mr Carter at a Quality Public Education Coalition political meeting in Ponsonby.
The minister's office, Ministry of Education and School Trustees Association did not know of any data indicating how rare Ms Goldsmith's stance was.
National's education spokeswoman, Anne Tolley, said reliance on donations meant schools would collapse if all parents chose not to pay.
The Weekend Herald study - which included schools in each of the 10 deciles in Auckland, North Shore, Waitakere and Manukau - showed those in the poorest areas tended to have the lowest rates of parents paying, some with 10 per cent despite asking as little as $5 a term.
"We're over the moon we got our 10 per cent - maybe next year we'll try for 15," bookkeeper Tania Ratana said of the $2172 collected this year at Roscommon School in Manurewa, almost half of which was spent on bringing a professional artist to school to tutor pupils.
Schools in wealthy parts of the North Shore and East Auckland had some of the highest rates. Sherwood Primary in Browns Bay got 92 per cent of families chipping in the requested $175 a year.
That trend is widely recognised and one of the drivers behind the decile system that sees high-decile schools get less Government funding than low-decile schools.
But many were still feeling the pinch, with the take from parents falling this year in 38 per cent of the schools.
"Donations have dropped significantly over the last couple of years," said Browns Bay School principal Roger Harnett.
"We used to budget on 80 per cent, now it is not even 65 per cent."
Blockhouse Bay Intermediate saw its rate cut from 80 per cent of parents paying last year to 50 per cent - a loss of several thousand dollars to the school.
"The economics of the country at the moment are certainly having an effect on it," said principal Colin Andrews.
Mr Andrews was unsure how the loss would be felt in the school and hoped changes would be made to the system as a result of a Government review of school funding.
In 14 per cent of schools, donation collection rose this year, while 34 per cent said the take remained steady and 14 per cent were unsure of how their total to date fared compared with the same time last year.
The study indicated several schools were stepping up the pressure.
Birkenhead School introduced invoicing this year and it was in the pipeline for Selwyn College.
Owairaka District School in Mt Albert - visited by Prime Minister Helen Clark last week - installed a large billboard at the front gate a few years ago with a "thermometer" displaying its donation take and the words "Please pay your school donation and help us purchase sunshades for your children" to try to increase payment rate.
"It has certainly increased as a result of a bit of a push on it," said principal Diana Tregoweth.
This year's take stood at $7000 - or about a quarter of families at the decile 2 school - well below the top mark of "an amazing" $26,000 if all families paid.
"We get out and we do apply for sponsorship - we can't survive without it," said Ms Tregoweth.
Almost half of schools surveyed asked for $100 or less per child annually, while seven of the sample requested more than $300.
The issue of school donations has been a hot topic for parents and school staff alike.
The School Trustees Association has repeatedly said schools are underfunded to an extent that funds raised in the community are spent on essentials rather than "nice-to-haves".
Mr Carter has repeatedly defended the level of funding to schools.
He has pointed out that education spending overall has almost doubled since 1999.
State of pay:
Unpaid donations this year:
* Over 100 schools surveyed, almost half of the requested donations (48 per cent) not paid.
* One school received 92 per cent of donations requested (the highest in the survey)
Compared to last year:
* About the same - 34 per cent
* Fewer donations - 38 per cent
* More donations - 14 per cent
* Unsure - 14 per cent
