Building Fund Levy Accompanying your school fees will be an account for the Building Fund Levy. This Levy provides finances to repay loans taken out for capital works and major maintenance works.
This is a compulsory levy and must be budgeted for by every family.
Parish / School Levy A small levy is applied to parent’s fees to pay for events that involve both School and Parish. The Parish Community also contribute to this fund.
School Income St Mary’s School has four main sources of funding, each is separate and targeted for expenditure in specific areas.
State and Federal Government Recurrent Grants These grants are paid on a per capita basis directly to the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office. The Catholic Schools Office then has the responsibility of dispersing these funds to the schools in accordance with State and Federal Government Guidelines and Regulations. These funds are available to pay the salary of all teaching staff, prep aides and some auxiliary staff. Further to this the Catholic Education Office is able to take a small percentage of the total funds for administration purposes.
School Fees Fees are collected from all families and are paid directly into the school account. An annual budget is presented to the School Board for expenditure of these funds. The Board is an advisory body in all financial matters. The Parish Finance Committee has ultimate responsibilities in the financial management of the school. The Parish Priest and the Principal will call upon the board and seek their advice as to the school financial budget.
Our school budget represents the fees paid by parents to educate their children. The school collects fees, of which almost half is accounted for in the wages of ancillary staff. The remainder is expended on the following items: stationery; relief teacher wages, sporting equipment, instrument service costs, photocopier requisites, library, art & craft materials, cleaning and maintenance requisites, electricity, rates, insurance, telephone, in-service costs, and other miscellaneous expenses.
With Board support the school users a collection agency for families who have not responded in any way to the school with requests to settle accounts.
No student is permitted to attend a school camp unless their school fee accounts are in order or they are on a payment plan.
Fundraising by P & F, Tuckshop and other approved bodies These funds are allocated in accordance with the priorities contained in the School Development Plan and any emergencies that may arise. These funds are one way the school can provide resources, such as playground and sports equipment, reading materials, science and mathematics equipment, major grounds improvement and much more.
P & F Levy This levy is collected on behalf of the school P & F. The money collected is passed onto the P & F at the end of every term.
School Building Fund The school borrows money from the Diocesan Development Fund for major capital works with such borrowings being repaid via the School Building Fund. A portion of the Capital/Building levy may be utilised for other capital educational purposes within the Diocese, for example the provision of Kindergarten and Outside School Hours Care.