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The man at the centre of an embattled Brisbane kindergarten has ignored four attempts by the regulatory authority to meet this week, as parents fear the ongoing chaos at the once-idyllic northside centre will spoil their children’s final term before starting school.
Families at the Craigslea Community Kindergarten in Chermside West have refused to send their children to the kindy after a bitter dispute led to almost all parents resigning from the management committee and a staff exodus.
This masthead revealed this month that C&K, as the central governing body, had cut funding to its affiliated kindy and launched an investigation into claims one parent, Thomas D’Souza, was running the centre’s management committee on his own.
Craigslea Community Kindergarten in Chermside West; Thomas D’Souza, who is running its management committee.Credit: Internet/Facebook
Once D’Souza had taken control of the committee, the staff were removed and replaced by temporary workers, leaving parents uncomfortable with his management and the unfamiliarity of relief staff.
The dispute reached a tipping point this week, when this masthead revealed D’Souza, through the committee he leads, asked parents to pay $2200 for a portfolio of their own child’s artwork to help pay alleged debts owed by the kindy.
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The mounting concerns and widespread discontent prompted the Department of Education to try to meet with D’Souza, but this masthead was told that four separate attempts this week by senior officials at the regulatory authority had been ignored.
“The department is aware of the concerns raised, specifically involving the approved provider and matters between staff and the management committee, which acts as the approved provider of the service,” a spokesman said in a written response to questions on Tuesday afternoon.
“Senior departmental officers are talking to families regarding their concerns, in addition to working closely with the approved provider.
“Senior officials have requested a meeting with the approved provider to try and resolve the situation. The request has not been accepted at this stage.”
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This masthead has attempted to contact D’Souza on numerous occasions, including on Tuesday to respond to updated concerns, but a response was not received before publication.
Premier David Crisafulli described the request for parents to pay for the portfolios of artwork as “emotional blackmail”.
“I think it’s desperate. I think it’s emotional blackmail, and I think it’s pretty un-Australian,” he told Nine’s Today show on Tuesday morning.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in that position. Now, I never saw any Picassos come home … but they mean something to you. It’s special.
“I just think it’s wrong on so many levels.”
The turmoil, which began this year and escalated after the previous president, vice-president and secretary resigned in August, has devastated parents and sacked staff.
Bev O’Loughlin said she dedicated her early-childhood career to the once-adored kindy, where she said she had been involved as a staff member and parent for 40 years.
Removed by the management committee during the staff purge, O’Loughlin said she was devastated with the kindy’s current predicament.
“All my kids went through the kindy, [and] I was on the committee in the early days, so my heart and soul is in that place,” she said.
The experienced educator said she feared for the children’s development if their fourth term was compromised due to the committee issue not being resolved.
“It’s the most important term of all,” she said.
“Kindy is fun and it’s play-based, but a big part of the last term is school readiness, and we pride ourselves that every child who comes from our kindy is more than ready to go to school.”
Julia Hughes, whose child is enrolled at Craigslea, said the dispute had caused significant disruption to the lives of the families involved.
“This is impacting us all financially, and the emotional and social damage on the children from taking them away from their friends, taking them out of their routine and away from their beloved teachers, has really put a spanner in the works for a bunch of four- to five-year-olds,” she told this masthead.
“That’s the worst part about all of this, is the impact it’s having on them because of this one person and his unidentified committee.”
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