In a world with more than two million students in Spain, the profit objective of subsidized schools can be set at an average of 25 euros per student per month. The average fee for subsidized private centers that have the legal form of a company rises to 108.38 euros per month, while when the school belongs to a religious congregation, a public body, a foundation or a social interest cooperative organization, it rises to 83.48 euros. The euro remains. According to the ninth edition of the annual study of charter school fees and prices prepared by Cicae, the private schools association.
Families pay nearly a billion euros a year in illegal fees to charter schools
The study shows that 79.4% of 321 charter schools analyzed in seven autonomous communities charge families a base fee and in 72% of cases there is no voluntariness – which would be illegal as it would violate the free public service provided. Is through these centres.
This report from Cicae is part of a hidden battle that Cicae, which represents purely private schools, has had with subsidized private schools, which they see as “unfair competition” because they take advantage of the best of each system. Let’s add up: They charge the state and families and the state pays its teachers. Sometimes – this is common in the Madrid community, for example – the administration gives them land to build a centre. This is a report that the main association of charter schools, Catholic Schools (the educational branch of the Church), rejects every year as biased and sometimes criticized for being unrepresentative, which is why this edition has Cicae. has clearly warned that it only aims to be representative of Madrid and an “indicator” of the rest.
In recent years there have been many attempts to shed a little light on an area that does not shine for its transparency. An estimate by EsadeEcPol calculates that the fees cost families one billion euros annually, in which case the annual payment limit is established between 680 and 860 euros (for example, the dining room is taken into account or No). This ASADE study is based on two INE surveys, whereas the CCAE study limits the sample to a certain number of schools – and is not representative of the entire group.
If all charter schools are financed equally, why do some charge nothing at all, others 10 euros, and some a thousand? Where is the underfinancing? What’s the solution to covering the expenses they say they can’t cover?
Save the Children also addressed charter schools a few weeks ago, in this case not so much focused on fees. But their study maintained that subsidized private centers in Spain, based on quota student selection, were among the most segregated by income in Europe and were underfunded, which I will explain Charging these irregular fees (which is not fair). This premise, in purely numerical terms, is correct: charter schools welcome about 30% of students at the compulsory stage, but represent 12.5% of total public spending. It could be argued that their costs are lower because they do not have a presence in rural areas, where education is more expensive, or because they serve far fewer students with educational support needs, but the numbers are the same. Are.
If that’s the case, Sica asks, where is the underfunding? “If all charter schools are financed equally, why do some charge nothing at all, others 10 euros, and some a thousand? What’s the solution to covering the expenses they say they can’t cover?” asked Elena Cid from Sika. “We’re not against a concrete agreement, we feel like it serves a necessary function, But we want the rules of the game to be the same for everyone.”
A large part of the problem comes because the economic module of the Concert established by the State has not been updated for years (although the Autonomous Communities are improving it) and, in addition, the cost of education is not known beyond large figures. Organized. The ministry is trying to resolve the issue and is studying the actual cost of these centres.
“I will come after an hour”
One of the main novelties of this ninth edition of the study – carried out with the mystery shopper technique, in which someone pretends to be a supposed customer to obtain reliable information about a company – is that it examined the behavior of the centers. has studied its ownership and legal structure, dividing schools into two groups: those that are for-profit and those that are not-for-profit. And they have found a difference between the two.
Companies configured as commercial companies “are those that charge households the highest amount, with an average fee of €108.38 per month”, a figure that rises to €149 every 30 days, excluding corporate cooperatives. Within this group, the most expensive are limited partnerships (195 euros on average), followed by public limited companies (146 euros per month), limited liability companies (106.31) and cooperatives (91 euros).
In many cases the Center directly denies the possibility of not paying it, claiming that “without it the operation of the Center would not be possible”, as reported in the Estudio de Galicia school. Or because “if you choose this school you know its fees”, an argument put forward in Norfolk, Madrid.
In comparison, those whose objectives do not include making money ask for a monthly contribution of 83.48 euros, which drops to 60.10 euros in the case of religious people – these are always average. Foundations charge 115 euros every 30 days and social interest cooperatives 137 euros.
The study also shows how different centers respond when asked what would happen if monthly fees are not paid, the criterion that could make these fees mandatory. In many cases the center directly denies the possibility of not paying it, claiming that “without it the operation of the center would not be possible,” as reported in the Estudio de Galicia school. Or because “if you choose this school you know its fees”, is an argument given in Norfolk, Madrid.
On other occasions it is explained to the family that without the quota there is a boycott. Not in those terms, but mystery shoppers who studied often heard that their imaginary child would “arrive an hour later” than the rest of the kids, sometimes even having to “leave an hour earlier” or leave the center mid- A short period of time in the morning is dedicated to completing an activity supposedly included in the fee, but not mandatory. There is also a case of Enfora International School, in which the family will not be forced to go to the center to pick up the child and they will go to play in the yard.
Catalonia is the autonomous community that charges the highest average fees, 177.68 euros per month, with John Talbot School having a maximum of 510 euros (traditionally it is St. Paul’s School, which is around a thousand, but did not do so this year Has been) get possible information). In this community, half of the centers require a monthly payment of 246.37 euros
Cicae says many subsidized centers include supplementary activities in the middle of the school day to force fee recovery. These activities – from chess to math reinforcement classes – are not curricular, so not mandatory, and centers can exclude those who do not pay for them. By placing them in the middle of the day, parents are forced to pay them due to the impossibility of picking up the child in the middle of the school day.
According to the Cicae study, in general, those responsible come to convince families who are interested in their school that fees are mandatory. This happens in 72% of the cases: the alternative to not paying is to exclude the student from certain activities. This model occurs mainly in the Community of Madrid, while in Catalonia, the Basque Country and the Valencian Community it is the rule not to offer any payment option. Andalusia, Aragon and Murcia have a model in which voluntarism is more real.
Catalonia is the autonomous community that charges the highest average fees, 177.68 euros per month, with John Talbot School having a maximum of 510 euros (traditionally it is St. Paul’s School, which is around a thousand, but did not do so this year Has been) get possible information). In this community, half of the centers require a monthly payment of 246.37 euros.
Madrid comes next, where 99% of centers charge an average of 125 euros, although this figure hides large differences between schools because, like Catalonia, half of them charge more than 150 euros per month. In the Valencian Community they dropped to 109 euros and in Euskadi they rose to 120 euros. Outside these two regions, the figures drop: Galician schools are on average 49 euros every 30 days, 42 in Andalusia, 34 in Aragon and 75 in Murcia.