Why we’ll fight to save our local high school: Parents push back against proposed amalgamation

PARENTS are vowing to fight to keep their local high school as a stand-alone institution, opposing a move to merge it with a much bigger school more than 6km away.

Jody Moate, pictured with son Theodore, hopes Pasadena stays open. Picture: Roger Wyman

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PARENTS are fighting a proposed merger between Unley and Pasadena high schools because it will limit public education options in the area.

Friends of Pasadena High member Carolyn Boyd has collected more than 400 signatures on a petition calling on the State Government to keep Pasadena High School open.

Ms Boyd, whose children Finn, 9, and Millie, 7, attend Edwardstown Primary School, said the proposed amalgamation was “short-sighted”.

“Once Pasadena is closed, it will be gone forever and the opportunity to reshape it into a great local high school will be lost,” Ms Boyd, of Clarence Gardens, said.

“So many young families are now moving into this area and many want to the option of sending their children locally.

“While investment in public education is very much needed, robbing Pasadena to pay Unley is not the way to do it.”

Ms Boyd said parents in the area would be forced to travel more than 6km to another high school.

Enrolments at Pasadena High have dropped from 287 in 2008 to 150 this year.

This, coupled with Unley High’s desire for a $30 million redevelopment, were among the reasons given by the schools to consider merging.

Both schools’ governing councils voted in June to seek feedback from parents and staff about merging.

One of the recommendations was that Pasadena High parents vote on whether the school should close.

Parents will be polled before the end of the school term.

Pasadena has a disability unit which caters for about 50 students, a trade centre, a state-of-the-art basketball stadium, arts centre and oval, which includes three soccer pitches.

Pasadena High Governing Council president Helen Shepherdson supported the push to keep Pasadena open.

“Losing (Pasadena) is not a good option for parents and once it is gone, it is gone,” Ms Shepherdson said.

“We are very happy they want to support us … and we want to keep the school going.”

Pasadena principal Wendy House hoped the parent support would boost the school’s profile.

“What we would be very pleased about is if (this community support) translated into increased enrolments,” Ms House said.

If the State Government decides to amalgamate the schools, Pasadena would remain open until at least the end of 2017.

Jody Moate’s son Theodore, 12, who is in Year 7 at Edwardstown Primary School, has his heart set on starting at Pasadena next year because it is a small school with a welcoming environment.

“He just felt very comfortable at the school (on tours) … it has a huge community and family feel,” Ms Moate said.

“We did say to our son that he had the opportunity to go for one year, or start somewhere to do the whole five years, but he said he definitely wanted to do that first year at Pasadena.”

Under the proposed merger, 10 classrooms would be demolished at Unley High to make way for a two-storey building, which would house a library, offices, a technology centre and a 45-seat performing arts centre.

Education Department infrastructure executive director Ross Treadwell said if the merger went ahead, the basketball stadium and trade centre would remain and be managed Unley High.

The schools both expressed interest in a merger in November, as part of the State Government’s voluntary amalgamations program.