Thread: Here's some interesting maths, #StKevinsCollege playing fields alone are worth more than $300million, this private asset paid for by taxpayers who subsidise each student $7000 per year.
#StKevins boasts a 5.5hectare private sports ground, the Taroonga Sports Fields, the land owned by the school. Before St Kevins bought the site it was earmarked for high-density housing due to being within walking distance of Tooronga train station. smh.com.au/business/st-ke…
A sq metre of land in Toorak currently sells for about $6000 (similar to inner city Sydney) which makes the value of the land $330million, that is 55000 sq metres x $6000persqm =$330 million. This isn't a public asset like govt schools but a private asset.
St Kevin gets govt subsidies of approx $7000 per student per year because it is "non profit". Like other private school approx 70% of govt subsidies go on capital expenditure - swimming pools, $50million libraries and theatres etc abc.net.au/news/2019-08-1…
Other income goes on ancillary staff (a running coach, a full time piano accompanist, school counsellers) that a govt school can only dream of. The gap is the opposite of Gonski's needs-based funding that private schools used its lobbying power (paid for by parents) to neuter.
Meanwhile taxpayers with special needs kids in public system spend their working week grovelling for resources, govt school principals grovel to increase maintenance budgets to stop leaks and update bunsen burners.
Why do parents who espouse the "values" of the school accept the public money knowing the equity gap? Finally one school has broken the ties, from 2020 Reddam School won't take $5million per annum in govt money. It's time for the rest to follow. smh.com.au/national/nsw/s…
Why is there such consent from Labor and Liberal MPS, from progressive parents who choose private schools, for a system that socialises the cost to create assets for the churches in a secular state? theguardian.com/australia-news…
