School starts next week, and for many parents it will be an expensive week with uniforms, text books and fees.
Marlborough Boys' College however is asking parents for nearly twice as much money as it did last year, and parents are not happy.
Evelyne McLean, mother of 13-year-old student Ryan McLean, blames the increases on the school's financial incompetence.
"It's not fair," she says. "Education is suppose to be free, for one thing. To go and lumber us with extra fees is definitely not our responsibility," she says.
In December last year Ms McLean got a letter saying fees at Marlborough Boys' College would be up from $110 to $200, and that any extra sports and cultural activities would have to be paid for by parents.
She is blaming the price hike on poor financial management by the school's principal and board of trustees. The school has a debt of $1.7 million, and schools with debt have only three options - get more money from the ministry, their community, or their parents.
Marlborough Boys' College has asked the ministry for a loan, but they are stinging the parents to repay it. And what hurts those parents even more is that some of the money was lost in a venture overseas.
"Part of the reason why the school is in so much debt is because of the failure of a school it started up in China which would allow students to gain New Zealand qualifications. But after only its first year running enrolments dropped off significantly, and now some parents are saying that it is them that are having to pay for some bad financial decision making.
"Not many other parents who have boys at Marlborough Boys' College at the moment had any idea that they were investing in China," says Ms McLean. "I think it was something that the community needed to know."
"It is unusual," says Jim Greening of the Ministry of Education. "The ministry is aware of other schools around the country that do enter into business ventures, but what we would do is to encourage all schools to discuss this with us when it's outside the general boundary of where they are operating."
The school defends its financial management. The board says the blow out was caused by it having too many teachers.
"The biggest thing that we can put our finger on is overstaffing," says Phil Robinson, Board of Trustees member. "The school has been carrying six staff above entitlement."
Six jobs have now been cut.
Then there is the decision the school made to buy a $250,000 computer network, believing the Ministry of Education would pay for it.
The ministry says the school failed to follow correct funding rules.
"When they're making major purchases such as this, or entertaining things such as this that fit outside the general nature of their operational grant...they should talk with the ministry," says Mr Greening.
The ministry has appointed a limited statutory manager to help get the school's finances back in shape.
"We've now got a budget with a small surplus, and that surplus will be going to repay the loan from the ministry," says Mr Robinson.
For Ms McLean and other parents Campbell Live spoke to, that is not good enough. She believes this has been a major financial blunder, and the school principal, John Rogers, should resign.
"I think the principal needs to consider relinquishing his position," she says.
Mr Rogers is not speaking publicly. It is the board that is answering the critics, and it is not about to sack anyone.
"The board are working through the issues, what went wrong," says Mr Robinson, "and then once we know what the facts are and if there's fault lying anywhere then it can be dealt with at that stage. But until we have that, the board won't be asking for a resignation or anything like that, 'cause I don't know if that was all the cause or any of the cause."
Ms McLean says the school and the board have failed to keep parents informed about the situation, and she hopes no more financial surprises lie ahead.
"John Rogers could come forward and let us know what is actually happening and what's he going to do about it," she says. "We haven't heard anything from him. We want to be reassured that the finance has been sorted and it's not going to be costing us the earth to have our children at Marlborough Boys' College."
And critics say schools should not be exposing themselves to business risks if it is the parents who have to pick up the tab.