During a Bel RTL morning segment, Gabriel Senterre, president of the college of directors of free schools in Brussels and Walloon Brabant, discussed the “tartine tax” or “chair fee,” which is an additional cost that parents have to pay for their children to stay in school at lunchtime. Senterre explained that the Wallonia-Brussels Federation does not have the financial means to abolish the fees charged for organizing meals and lunchtime in schools. Despite their efforts, schools have to pass on this cost to those who benefit from the service, which averages an additional €140 per year. Schools try to limit these costs as much as possible, but lunchtime is extra-school time that requires additional supervisors to cover, which has a cost that needs to be passed on to parents. Schools organize festivities to raise funds and finance this lunchtime, but they still have deficits in supervision. Senterre admits that families from mixed populations face difficulties due to this additional cost, and schools have to tighten their belts irrespective of their location.
This Thursday, the guest of Bel RTL morning was the president of the college of free school directors in Brussels and Brabant-Wallon, Gabriel Senterre. He returned to the “tartine tax”, or “chair fee”, which makes parents pay a supplement for children to stay in school at lunchtime.
The Wallonia-Brussels Federation does not have the financial means to abolish the fees charged to parents for the organization of meals and lunchtime in schools, announced Minister Caroline Désir (PS) on Tuesday, pressed by the opposition PTB to put an end to what it describes as a “loaf tax”.
This Thursday morning, Gabriel Senterre, the president of the college of directors of free schools in Brussels and Walloon Brabant, explained to Antonio Solimando why this “loaf tax” was difficult to circumvent. This tax, which averages an additional €140 per year, covers what the schools cannot finance despite their efforts. “What you have to understand is that lunch time is extra-school time,” says Gabriel Senterre. “We have to hire supervisors to cover this lunch time and take care of the children, it has a cost and we have to pass it on somewhere,… In this case to those who benefit from the service”regrets the president of the college of free school directors in Brussels and Brabant Wallon.
“We try to pass on a minimum”
However, schools are trying to limit these costs. “We try to pass on to a minimum”resumes Gabriel Senterre who evokes the case of the school of which he is director. “We had a check recently and it was clear that we were in deficit in the supervision of this lunch time”, he admits. So for “raise money to finance this lunch time”, “we must organize festivities“. One director, among many others, who has to tighten his belt, regardless of location.”In Braine-l’Alleud, we also have concerns, we have a mixed population, it puts families in difficulty.”
In conclusion, the “tartine tax” or “chair fee” continues to be a source of debate and frustration for many parents in Brussels and Brabant Wallon. Despite efforts by schools to limit the costs, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation does not have the financial means to abolish these fees. As Gabriel Senterre, president of the college of free school directors in Brussels and Brabant Wallon, explains, lunchtime supervision incurs additional costs that have to be passed on to parents who benefit from the service. While schools are doing their best to raise funds through festivities and other means, the burden falls on families who may already be facing financial difficulties. It remains to be seen if any solutions will be found to address this issue.