In January, the education department warned public schools to be careful when requesting financial contributions, and not to add incentives for paying or consequences for not paying.

However, as the Sydney Morning Herald reported, “A letter received by parents at the selective Sydney Boys High School last month both stressed the importance of paying more than $2500 for their son’s education and offered a $250 discount for families who paid the amount within the first weeks of term.”

In 2022, the school collected $1.04 million in voluntary contributions.

The principal Dr Kim Jaggar wrote that the school’s operations “cannot be maintained without a very high level of parental support”.

Last year, the principal wrote to parents about the importance of having settled financial accounts as the school’s payment system experienced technical difficulties.

“Students have been using their phones to show me copies of electronic receipts, thereby allowing me to discuss their reports with them,” he wrote.

“So, if the website doesn’t show nothing owed, bring a photo of the payment on your phone when you come for the interview.”