School backs down on voluntary donations

Willy Kersten. Photo / Wairarapa Times-Age

A school has been criticised for keeping a student from going on a school trip because his parents had not paid a voluntary donation.

The case, which involves state-integrated school Rathkeale College in Masterton, was the subject of a complaint to the ombudsman outlined in the ombudsman's annual report.

"We received a complaint where a student ... had been denied access to an upcoming school trip on the basis of unpaid donations," the report said.

"We commenced an investigation on an urgent basis and signalled at the outset that ... such donations are voluntary and no student should be denied privileges available to other students if the school donation remains unpaid."

The decile 9 integrated boys' school co-operated with the investigation and soon reversed its position, allowing the student to take part in the trip.

Rathkeale has been in the gun before for misleading parents into thinking that voluntary donations were compulsory, including an annual $1100 donation for lunches.

The Ministry of Education confirmed that unpaid donations should not affect a student's participation in activities.

Rathkeale principal Willy Kersten said the case was a year ago, and was a one-off.

"It's been dealt with ... the school has been in discussions with the ministry and we have approval for all our current procedures relating to our fees and donations."

He stopped short of calling the incident a mistake, saying the school disagreed in principle to the strict procedures that needed to be followed.

"Our view in principle is different to what we know we have to carry out. But we are undertaking what we have to do."

This year, Rathkeale was the subject of an investigation by the ministry, which found the school had misled parents over the annual lunch fee, a $250 charge for activities throughout the year and an insurance levy to provide for students' education if their parents died.

Mr Kersten said lunch charges and the insurance levy were now optional, and the $250 fee had been scrapped.

The investigation started when a parent, Karen Bock, complained after the school suggested she could use money from the future sale of her house to cover the $13,000 voluntary payment she owed.

The ombudsman's office said it has dealt with a few cases involving school donations in recent years.

Association of Integrated Schools executive director Vaughan Darby said he was pleased Rathkeale had changed its procedures to be compliant.

"A donation is strictly that, a donation. If a school is charging a donation for going on a trip, they cannot enforce that or keep the student from going."

School Trustees Association president Lorraine Kerr said parents are not required to pay voluntary donations.

"But most schools will say the voluntary donation helps because schools for years have been inadequately funded."

Rathkeale, a boarding school, reportedly expected donations of $1000 per term. The school receives about $567,000 in government funding a year and collected more than $400,000 in voluntary fees in 2008.