Changes to School Donations 2020

19th December 2019

Dear Green Bay School Community

School Camps and Trips: Ministry of Education, Changes to School Donations 2020

For many years, pupils of Green Bay School have been extremely fortunate to experience a range of out of class experiences including overnight trips and school camps. These trips rely on the support of the school community through parent/caregiver payment, and we would like to thank you for your support to date.

The Board of Trustees view these experiences as almost ‘a rite of passage’ for our students to develop and take on opportunities that for many, otherwise might not be available. Recently, the Ministry of Education has made changes to the way school donations are handled, in particular, what parents/caregivers are expected to contribute towards their child(s) education, and also what payments the School is able to ask parents/caregivers for.

More formal communication is expected from the Ministry to parents/caregivers in the coming months, however upon a Board review of the changes, we felt it prudent to communicate to parents/caregivers the key points and the potential impact this may have to School Camps and Trips.

For 2020, a school tuition donation will not be asked for, instead this will be provided for every student at Green Bay School (along with many other Schools that are decile 7 and below) by the Ministry of Education. One of the changes for when the Ministry donation takes place is that many of the out-of-class trips cannot be charged for. In response to the changes, the Board advises that payment of 2020 camp costs are to be considered a donation. All donations paid are tax deductible and tax receipts will be issued next year.

The fiscal impacts of this change on the School is that there is no obligation for parents/ caregivers to pay the donation, however this is the only way to work within the new changes. Without the financial support of parents/caregivers these Camps would be uneconomic to fund, and it would jeopardise our ability to offer such experiences in coming years. The School would not be able to meet the costs of Camps out of its operational grant, as previously these were always an extra compulsory payment, and to use the operational grant would take much needed money for learning resources of core curriculum areas.

The Green Bay School Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees are committed to ensuring School Camps remain viable. At this stage, with your support, the 2020 Camps will proceed, and we hope this advanced notice is helpful. In early Term 1 2020, the School will hold an information meeting with parents/caregivers to ensure sufficient financial support can be obtained, as well as discussing available payment instalment options, should that be beneficial for any Camp donation. Based on previous camps, we anticipate a donation of approximately $360.00 per student (senior school only).

Thank you for your understanding as we come to grips with these changes and the difficult situation we are facing. The Board of Trustees really value the ongoing support that our school community provides to the education of the students at Green Bay School and we look forward to working with you all in the coming year.

Should you have any queries in the meantime, please feel free to contact the school at admin@greenbay.school.nz.

Kind Regards

Amelia Day

Chairperson - Board of Trustees

Green Bay School