Learning difficulties for Benambra

A Victorian budget that promised to deliver on education has forgotten Benambra.
There is only one new capital works project planned for our state schools and that won’t be delivered until late in 2018.
Beechworth Secondary College also gets a mention in the budget papers but there is no firm allocation of money and what is promised will only be used in planning any future work.

Budget commitments

Beechworth P-12 College, one of six regional and rural schools to receive money to plan their future upgrades and building works.
Rural and Regional Budget Information Paper, P15

Rutherglen High School – $1.6 million modernisation – upgrade school buildings, including buildings below acceptable condition. Only $59,000 to be spent in 2016/17. State Capital Program, Budget Paper #4, P35

The budget papers also repeated the allocation for the project at West Wodonga Primary School that is well underway.
There is no provision in this budget for any new building works in the next 12 months.
There was a priority list for state schools prepared by the department when we were in government. Wodonga West Primary School was at the top of that list followed by Corryong College, Wodonga Middle Years College, Huon Campus and Beechworth Secondary College.

Comments attributable to member for Benambra Bill Tilley:

“Out of $924 million promised for schools across Victoria we have Rutherglen getting $59,000 for a project to be delivered at some point in two years’ time, Beechworth Secondary College getting an unspecified amount of money to plan their much needed works and Wodonga West Primary School’s refurbishment trotted out for the second year running.

“Corryong College and Huon Middle Years campus were expected to be the next in line in this electorate but as a result of today we are still waiting.”  

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