FEBRUARY 17, 2015 \ MACEDONRANGES.STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
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(Joe Mastroianni)
Music at the Churches will offer something a little softer and more traditional during this week’s Kyneton Music Festival. Organiser Henry Vyhnal (pictured) says this year’s free church program features two globally acclaimed musicians. Composer, harpist and singer Mary Doumany will take the stage at St Paul’s Anglican Church at 2pm on Saturday, while Irish singer-songwriter Roesy will perform at the Uniting Church at 1pm. Local quartet Jose and the Coffee Mugs will share their free-and-easy swing music at Kyneton Baptist Church from midday. Vyhnal will join pianist Malcolm Cole and soprano Kristen Leich for Three’s a Crowd at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church from 11am. The rest of the Kyneton festival program features a long list of lively acts, ranging from the Magic Mountain Band and Eaten By Dogs, to Sunbeam Sound Machine and The Reprobettes. There’ll be performances at cafes and galleries around town on Friday and Saturday, plus acoustic shows in the Red Brick Hall and an outdoor stage at the Mechanics Institute. A full weekend pass costs $70. For more details, visit www. kynetonmusicfestival.com.au. Matt Crossman
Parents face fees stress By Matt Crossman More Sunbury parents are asking principals for fee relief as state schools struggle to make up for government funding shortfalls. Sunbury Primary School principal Sean Lawless called on both state and federal governments to stop asking schools to do more with less. ‘‘I get a bit tired of governments of both persuasions saying they will do more for schools and hospitals in the lead-up to elections, but afterwards they don’t follow through,’’ Mr Lawless said. The parents’ plea comes in the wake of a report into the true costs of public schooling,
released by the state’s auditor-general last week. The report found Victorian parents paid $310 million to schools in 2013, an average of $558 per student. This was almost $70 million more than they paid in 2009. Auditor-General John Doyle, who recommended a regular review of payment policies, said the amount asked of parents varied greatly from school to school. He also said the Education Department needed to improve how it estimated the funding required to meet school costs. ‘‘School principals have pointed to the inadequacy of school funding as the main reason for increasing parent payments,’’ he said. ‘‘While there is some evidence to support
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this claim, the [department] has done little to find out what it actually costs to educate a child.’’ The report said parent payments had gone from being used to support state education to becoming essential. It found that, in addition to school payments, many parents were also expected to buy uniforms, gym clothes and other items. Victorian Council of Social Service chief executive Emma King said parents were paying more for schooling than in any other state. ‘‘The state government must act now to ensure all school students are able to participate in the opportunities afforded by a quality education,’’ she said.
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Mr Lawless said the former Napthine government’s decision to scrap the education maintenance allowance had hurt many lowincome families. ‘‘Even though we are in a relatively well off area socio-economically, we had about 60 families who were in receipt of that funding.’’ Most schools have hardship provisions in place for families struggling to pay fees and levies. Mr Lawless said he had spoken to more parents seeking help than ever before. ‘‘The fact is, in Victoria, we receive about $1900 less per child than the national average.’’ Opposition education spokesman Nick Wakeling and leader Matthew Guy claim the Coalition spent record funding on schools.
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