Attendance Dues are a charge payable to the Proprietor and a legal obligation being a condition of enrolment at integrated schools. Dues are not a donation, and they are not tax deductible.
They are not the same as school and activity fees which are charged by both state and integrated schools and payable to the school. Attendance Dues are payable directly to Catholic Schools Board Limited (CSBL) which acts as agent for the Proprietors of all Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Wellington and the Diocese of Palmerston North.
Catholic integrated schools are financed partly by the Government and partly through Attendance Dues paid by parents/caregivers to the Proprietor. CSBL needs the revenue from Dues to fund the borrowing required to provide new classrooms, as these are not funded by the Government if there is surplus space at neighboring State schools.
Attendance Dues are also used to pay other building-related costs for example, insurance on school buildings and to repay loans. These loans have been incurred to provide some of the school facilities being used by this generation of students.
At the start of each year CSBL invoices parents and caregivers and provides a brochure which outlines the rate of Dues to be paid, the various options for payment and information on how Dues have been used in the past 12 months.
The CSBL Board as the agent of our Proprietors, has reviewed the existing level of Attendance Dues and after much deliberation, approved increases to take effect in 2010. The increases are $2.50 and $5.50 per term respectively for primary and secondary students.
This decision took into consideration the financial recession and is aligned to approximate the increaase in the cost of living. Proprietors obligations to service current debt and address the ongoing needs of our 83 schools continue but cannot fully be met from the 2010 Dues set. In a time of falling rolls and spare capacity at neighbouring state schools our Proprietors are, in most cases, ineligible for state funding for additional classrooms. Our Proprietors have been left, therefore, with no alternative but to increase the Dues but recognizing the current financial climate.
The increases mean that in 2010 Attendance Dues are $344 per annum for primary students ($86.00 per term) and $672 per annum for secondary students ($168.00 per term). Parents were notified of the increase by our Dues Team in November 2009.
CSBL is responsible to Proprietors for the invoicing and collection of Dues. Members of our Dues Team are in regular contact with parents, Parish Priests, Dues Committees, and Secondary Principals and are available to answer your questions.
A variety of options and arrangements for payment of Attendance Dues can be made to suit individual needs and regular contact and follow up is made when payment is not received. While Proprietors expect everyone to try to make some contribution, assistance is available in cases of genuine hardship.
If parents are unable to pay the increased Attendance Dues they need to contact their Parish Priest, Dues Committee or Secondary School Principal to discuss the possibility of a rebate.