As we close the year, we are mindful of the ever-changing political landscape and how this could potentially effect our government funding. This funding makes up around 57% of our operating revenue, so any negative movement in proposed funding arrangements will have a significant impact. We will continue to monitor and prepare for any changes for the years ahead, and at present the indications are that there may be a slight softening in the government indexation. This has been factored in the 2019 budget.
The fee structure presented and approved, included for the first time a staged increase approach as follows:
- K, 1 & 2 Zero increase
- Years 3-6 3.5% increase
- Years 7-9 4.5% increase
- Years 10-12 5.5% increase
This approach will ensure the school remains an attractive choice for parents of children in the very early years while also recognising the cost to provide education increases as the students progress through to senior school.
The table below details the fee structure for 2019.
We are pleased to be able to continue our sibling discount structure, with the discounts for the second, third and forth siblings remaining unchanged from 2018.
The Technology Fee for Years 7 and 10 has reduced to $250 to reflect the new Chromebook program. The fee for students still on the MacBook program remains at $600. Other than a small cost recovery increase for the Years 4, 5 and 6 camp fees, most other items remain unchanged.
In summary, the school continues to prepare itself for any funding challenges that may lie ahead. The annual independent financial performance survey by Somerset Education (for the 2017 year) states that the school appears to be very efficiently run, and other key indicators show that when compared to independent schools of a similar size, we are tracking very well in all critical KPI’s.
So while there are many uncertainties in life, we are thankful to God for His continuing blessing and provision to our school. We were reminded of that again recently at the 50th anniversary of the School Association celebration. We have certainly come a long way since 1968, and in 2018 we have a healthy balance sheet, we are debt free, and we have strong enrolment numbers for 2019.
As the year is drawing to a close, we do encourage families to ensure their financial commitments for 2018 are on target, and we also want to thank those who have kept their accounts up to date this year. We want to thank Peter, Jesse, Fred and Sue in the accounts team for diligently managing the financial affairs of the school. If any families are experiencing difficulties in this regard please don't hesitate to contact Peter as soon as possible.
On behalf of the Board, executive and staff, we thank you for your continued support, and look forward with anticipation to what lies ahead in 2019.
John VanderJagt
Treasurer