Building site blues

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
STUDENTS at Wandin Yallock Primary School can look forward to their school being a long-term building site after the Coalition government failed to provide funding to allow the school’s rebuild to be completed in one stage.
Recent efforts by the school community including a rally held on Friday 8 April and a petition given to Education Minister Martin Dixon to highlight the school’s plight made no difference to the spending in the State Budget.
The school council said it was promised the full $4 million for a one stage build, which led to half the school being demolished last December, before being told it would not get the money straight away and that the school could be a building site for three years.
The $2 million allocated by the Labor government in the 2010/11 budget has been included in the Coalition government’s budget as the money has not yet been spent, and the school will have to wait to find out when it could receive the other $2 million.
School council president Amanda Williams said: “The state Liberal government did not announce that any further funds will be provided to allow the school to complete the rebuild of its facilities in a single stage in the next financial year,” she said.
“The school community will continue to highlight the need for monies to be made available in the budget for 2012/13.
Ms Williams said the school would go ahead with its rebuild in two or more stages, with the ability to proceed with the construction of the first stage – three permanent classrooms with associated library spaces and toilet facilities.
She said the lack of funding hasn’t put a dampener on the school’s plans, which had an enthusiastic committee that would ensure the grounds continue to be developed, enhanced and made safe for the school community.
Evelyn MP Christine Fyffe, who has constantly supported the school, said it was common practice for government projects to be funded in stages.
“This means that taxpayer money is handled wisely, allowing more funding for more projects across the state,” she said.
Mrs Fyffe said as works progress the Department of Education and Early Childhood would assess when the second stage of funding would be made available.