Springbank Secondary College holds meeting for parents campaigning to prevent closure

“Springbank is not an option, it is a necessity.” A parent group met last night to prepare their campaign to keep their Pasadena school from closing.

Springbank Secondary College parent Danielle Duffield at a public meeting opposing the closure of the school. Picture: Chris Russell

• Friends of Springbank Secondary College call for shared zone
• College has only seven per cent of the students within its zone

Parents campaigning to save Springbank Secondary College from closure have been urged to make their voices heard across multiple fronts.

Caught by surprise when Education Minister John Gardner announced the school’s future was in doubt, the parents are preparing to fight.

“Springbank is not an option, it is a necessity,” friends’ group spokeswoman Danielle Duffield told a public meeting of about 70 people on Thursday night.

“I want our students to have a future, for us all to have pride in our school and for us to know our resourcing is secure.”

Mr Gardner last week initiated a formal, three-month review into the school, headed by former district manager Terry Sizer.

Springbank has 167 students, the lowest enrolment at a mainstream metropolitan public high school in South Australia.

The parents’ group said they would make submissions to the review, send a petition to State

Parliament and raise a delegation which would seek to meet Mr Gardner.

Springbank Secondary College students Donna and Eden, both in Year 9, at a public meeting opposing the school closing. Picture: Chris Russell

School principal Wendy House urged parents to take the review seriously.

“Terry Sizer is very experienced,” Ms House said.

“And it will be a panel recommendation from the review to the minister.”

However, parents raised concerns that the decision to close the school had already been taken “and the bulldozers will be moving in”.

MPs Carolyn Power and Jayne Stinson – whose electorates are in the school’s zone – each invited parents and the public to make submissions directly to the review or through their office.

Ms Power, the Liberal MP for Elder, gave an assurance “the review will be independent”.

Ms Stinson, Labor MP for Badcoe, said she was “open to ideas” on the school and would co-ordinate a submission with Opposition education spokeswoman Susan Close.

Ms Close and Upper House members Frank Pangallo and Tammy Franks also attended the meeting.