Victorian Government budget to exact heavy toll on Jewish day schools
The Australian Council of Jewish Schools says that a 5% payroll tax could result in an increase of at least 4% in fees imposed by Victorian Jewish Day Schools.
This follows an announcement by the Victorian government that the exemption of payroll tax will be removed in mid-2024.
In a statement, the Council says: “This is on top of the annual fee increases already imposed on our parents to cover the escalating cost of power, utilities, and materials and increases in staff salaries and wages.
Tuition fee schedules are not an appropriate indicator of wealth or the ability of our schools to meet ever-increasing costs. Over 1/3 of the students attending our schools receive tuition fee assistance, with a growing number of families requesting support during these difficult financial times.”
The Council pointed out that “escalating housing costs and cost of living pressures, and are making enormous sacrifices to provide their children with a Jewish education”.
It fears that some families will be circumstantially forced to remove their children from a Jewish day school and enrol them into the burgeoning government school system.
The Council also that “in addition to increasing fees, our schools will likely need to review their programs and offerings, impacting the quality of the education and wellbeing programs being provided to our students”.
Our schools provide cultural identity, community‐based education, and well-being assistance to Victorian students. Over 35% of our Victorian schools’ enrolment are students that encounter a disability. Over 30% of our parent population are categorised by ACARA in the lower two quartiles of educational disadvantage.
The statement also says: “Schools are now working on their budgets and will need to cut staff costs or increase fees or both. Further, while there is a capacity for the Treasurer or Minister to exempt a school, and we would expect that at least some of our schools, if not all of them, might benefit from such an exemption, we would need to know the status of that almost immediately, and it would render precarious the future budgets of all our schools, all of which operate on a not-for-profit basis.”
The Council is urging the Government to consult and liaise with the schools prior to considering removing the payroll tax exemption.
