State budget has $84.4m for new Rostrevor school, $215m bailout needed for TAFE

The state budget has $84m for a new 1200-student high school in Adelaide’s east and building upgrades – and a $215m rescue package for TAFE.

A new east suburban high school, completion of building for year 7s in secondary schools, shoring up the stressed TAFE SA and a new office for learning in early years are the highlights of a $4 billion education budget.

The new school, confirmed by The Advertiser last week, will be an $84.4 million redevelopment of the Rostrevor campus of Norwood Morialta High School, which is consolidating on its Parade site.

The first $16.6 million of that will be spent in 2021-22.

The 1200-place, year 7-12 school is targeted to open for year 7s in 2023, with remaining facilities ready by 2024.

The existing buildings will be demolished and replaced with contemporary learning facilities, Education Minister John Gardner said. The oval and soccer pitches will be retained.

Buildings at the Rostrevor campus of Norwood Morialta High School which will be demolished. Picture: Shaun Hollis

“The new school, located on fit-for-purpose land the department already owns, will help meet future demand in the area and relieve enrolment pressure across the inner east,” he said.

Treasurer Rob Lucas said Rostrevor was “a ready solution” but not the only answer to overcrowding in government schools.

The Education Department was looking at several pressure points, including the two Adelaide city centre high schools, primary levels in the south eastern suburbs, Mount Barker and the northern suburbs because of Buckland Park (Riverlea) and other greenfield housing developments.

To ease city centre problems, Mr Lucas said a new high school could be built in the inner north or western suburbs.

The building program reaches a critical phase over the rest of this year to prepare for year 7 moving into high school for 2022.

Creating facilities for year 7s will require much of $462.4 million being invested in schools in 2021-22.

The year 7 transition also will require the purchase of 20 new Adelaide Metro buses to increase services.

The building program extends to “urgent capital works” worth $42 million – of which $8.3 million is allocated in 2021-22 – for Seaview Downs Primary, Pimpala Primary, Nailsworth Primary, Eastern Fleurieu’s campus at Langhorne Creek, Salisbury East High and the relocation of Elliston RSL Memorial Children’s Centre to the area school.

Non-government schools will be offered $11.8 million in grants for capital works.

Primary schoolteacher Trisha Gilbert, from Hackham, had hoped for funding to decrease class sizes and tackle individual needs of students.

Ms Gilbert welcomed the increase in teacher numbers but said overall the budget was “disappointing”.

The $50 million early learning strategy will partly meet calls by teachers such as Ms Gilbert for specialised support such as speech pathologists and behaviourists but she was concerned about how students’ needs would be met once they were at school.

The government has conceded TAFE SA has struggled to meet efficiency savings and won’t achieve revenue targets.

Primary schoolteacher Trisha Gilbert. Picture Matt Turner.

This has led to an extra $215.5 million allocated to the agency over four years.

Mr Lucas said Treasury had “reluctantly” accepted TAFE was not enrolling enough paying students, had to prepare for changing skills priorities being decided at a national level and operated with staff conditions that were “uncompetitive” compared to private providers.

TAFE is expected to lose 74 jobs, full-time equivalent, reducing the total to 1973 positions. If not for the extra funding, a further 91 jobs would have been lost.

TAFE operating expenditure is expected to grow by 0.6 per cent to $324 million. TAFE made a surplus of $8 million in 2019-20, but is expected to have recorded a $5 million deficit this financial year, to be followed by a $541,000 deficit in 2021-22.

The Education Department’s budget will increase by 4 per cent to $4 billion.

Staff numbers will increase by 433 full-time equivalent to 25,909, with further growth of 50 to 300 a year expected in future years.

The Innovation and Skills Department will provide $2 million over five years to UniSA to support a Playford professor of business growth.

The national partnership with the federal government to extend the JobTrainer scheme will require SA to fund half, or $68.9 million over two years.