Gracemere high school rejected

A PETITION with over 3000 signatures was not enough to convince Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek of the need for a secondary school at Gracemere.

Luke Lahiff (centre), with Lilly-Rose Lahiff and Beau Rosin, is fuming over news that a high school at Gracemere is off the table, and says it will be hard to find time to run his children to a Rockhampton school. Picture: Chris Ison

A PETITION with more than 3000 signatures was not enough to convince Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek of the need for a secondary school at Gracemere.

Mr Langbroek explained there were no plans to build a secondary school in Gracemere in a letter to the clerk of the Parliament, which was made public on Friday afternoon.

The petition collected 3003 signatures of people in Gracemere who felt that a Gracemere high school was a necessity.

It was presented to parliament by Rockhampton MP Bill Byrne, who was hopeful of building support for the proposed high school.

Mr Langbroek's letter, which was a direct response to the petition, presented a number of reasons why the secondary school would not be considered.

"Enrolments at Rockhampton State High School have remained moderate and stable over the past few years, and are forecast to continue at this rate. Rockhampton State High School currently enrols 1057 students and has capacity for more students," Mr Langbroek stated.

"Based on current data, should a secondary state school for Years 8 to 12 open at Gracemere, it would only attract approximately 360 students."

It was also stated that the distance between Gracemere and its closest school, Rockhampton State High School, was deemed a reasonable distance to travel to school.

"The nearest state high school to the Gracemere suburb is Rockhampton State High School, which is approximately 14 km by road from Gracemere State School. This is regarded as a reasonable distance for travel to a secondary school."

The most contentious argument against the school was the final point of the letter, which stated that Gracemere's growth was restricted and a new school would be unnecessary.

"While Gracemere has experienced some residential growth over the past few years, further growth is limited by the amount of land suitable for further residential growth under the Rockhampton Regional Council's current Planning Scheme. Therefore, there are no current plans to construct an additional secondary state school at Gracemere."

HIGH SCHOOL BLUES

The Gracemere Community Voice has been trying to build support for a secondary school for almost 15 years, gaining noticeable support in the past 12 months

The Community Voice collected a petition with 3003 signatures for the school and was presented to parliament by Bill Byrne.

John-Paul Langbroek responded to the petition on Friday afternoon, saying there were no plans for a secondary school at this stage.

Originally published as Gracemere high school rejected