Leading The Debtors Department to Victory Against Organisational Debt!
When you think of iconic teams, who springs to mind?
The Avengers? The Justice League?
Maybe the West Coast Eagles or Springboks?
Every high-performing group has quiet achievers who work behind the scenes to ensure everyone succeeds.
In this SCEA News this week, we are highlighting one such team – the SCEA’s Debtors Department!
Located across our school sites and Central Office, the Debtors Department works alongside the Finance team, under the oversight of Mr Rowan Joubert (Chief Financial Officer – SCEA), to ensure the ongoing financial health of our organisation.
Their work includes ensuring school fees are paid on time, supporting parents as they manage their school-related finances, processing payment transactions, and clearly communicating financial matters to families.
Spearheading this remarkable team are Mrs Mariska Dunmore (Credit Control Officer – SCEA) and Mr Michael Mendoza (Accounts Receivable Officer – SCEA).
SCEA’s Batman and Robin!
Not only do they work as part of the wider Debtors Department from 9am-5pm, but they are also both experienced team players in their personal lives.
You may recognise Mr Mendoza as our resident SCEA drummer (below left) playing in the band at both Leadership Summit and Celebration Day this year.
Mrs Dunmore shares a love of hockey with her team leader, Mrs Lizl Coetzee (Financial Controller – SCEA), and the two of them work together regularly on methods of reducing organisational debt (above right).
As organisational debt is reduced, the opportunity for future school-based projects increases – an exciting prospect for all staff!
But when asked what their biggest achievement in 2025 has been, Mariska and Michael cited “the strong partnership between our Central Office team and the School Finance Departments.”
It is from this partnership and teamwork that SCEA’s total organisational debt has been reduced from $3.3 million to $1.7 million over three years.
This impressive statistic represents hundreds of families assisted by the SCEA-wide Debtors Department’s efforts to streamline everyday processes.
A convenient ‘direct debit payment schedule’ feature is now available in the TASS Parent Portal, helping parents automate their financial administration.
“In 2025, 65% of families were on payment schedules, and in 2026, we are aiming to reach 70%,” Mariska said this week.
Imagine 70% of our entire parent community feeling supported and cared for by their school and the wider SCEA team!
For the numerically-minded SCEA News readers, our Central Office Debtors super-team of two has provided a statistical snapshot of their processed transactions in 2025, including 40,339 transactions and 59,014 payments.
What does the Finance team’s work in debt reduction mean for you?
It creates an opportunity for future projects to move forward, as funds can be injected into our schools and resources.
Around The Grounds 2026 – SCEA staff will remember this video from SCEA Celebration Day, which highlights the new facilities across our sites as a result of State, Federal and SCEA funding.
Mariska and Michael cite their work as an essential step toward creating a parent journey that “is not only smooth, but enjoyable,” as families are given information and the opportunity to manage their school finances effectively.
Through every transaction, phone call and bit of collaboration, Michael and Mariska (and the other members of the Debtors team) remain grounded in the CHARIS virtues.
“The virtues guide the way we support families, collaborate with schools, improve the parent experience and create a sustainable financial future for SCEA.”
Many, many thanks to the SCEA Debtors team – you will always be superheroes in our minds!
