Do private schools save us money?

Do non-government schools save us money?

Some non-government school advocates will say "we pay taxes - we have the right to have government money spent on the education of our child in a different system".

1. The government raises taxes in order to ensure a certain level of public services. Where citizens elect not to use such services, they are free to construct their own. Government assistance for this is a privilege rather than a right.

2. Taxes are a transfer of funds from taxpayers to Governments to provide for our collective needs. We all pay taxes towards public transport. If the logic of the above argument was extended, we would have the right to get money from the government to help us buy a car if we chose not to use public transport.

3. This prioritises the rights of the individual to pursue his or her advantage over the capacity of society as a whole to achieve its ends. (Or it says that society has no interests other than the interests of its individual citizens.) Taxation offers society the possibility of making decisions that are to its advantage as a whole. It is in the interest of society that every member be given the chance to develop their full range of skills. For that it is crucial to have an efficient and well resourced public education system.

"Private schools save the Government money"

We have to be clear what schools we are talking about. The majority of non-government schools are in the old category 9 -12 system which include the Catholic system. They receive, on average, 80-90% of their funding from state and federal governments (*see below). One can scarcely say that they offer a significant saving.

Recent Federal funding to new non-government schools is often an inefficient use of scarce education resources as these schools are set up in close proximity to existing government schools which could easily provide for the children's education. No assessment is now done of the possible effect of new schools on neighbouring schools, nor any assessment of the demand for the new schools which are frequently very small.

All non-government schools are dependent on public money in far more ways than are publicly admitted or accounted for. The wealthy schools which cater for about 10% of children, absorb a large share of the money available in our society for expenditure on education, in the interest of a minority. Aside from annual per capita grants and capital grants from State and Federal Governments which have increased enormously in recent years (particularly to the wealthier non-government schools):

• every dollar raised in school building appeals is tax deductible, so that in addition to contributions from the individuals who benefit, every taxpayer carries some of the burden of extending the facilities of these schools
  
• they are exempt from some land taxes (and never paid payroll tax)
  
• the travel requirements of their students are a cost to transport budgets
  
• they have free access to many Education Dept facilities whose costs are accounted to the government's own system

* "Most non-government schools are supported by recurrent public subsidy, direct and indirect, to a level equal to 80-90% of average recurrent government school expenditures per student - on top of which is added income from school fees and often from trust funds, foundations and investments" - Ken Boston, Director of NSW Dept of Education, quoted in "THE AGE" on 24th June 2002.