Schools left over from Newman government asset sales plan sit under-utilised four years later

IT was one of the most contentious issues of the Newman state government... so, what’s become of the schools left over from the failed asset sales scheme.

Fortitude Valley State School has become overgrown. Picture: Marc Robertson

SCHOOLS left over from the Newman government’s failed asset sales scheme are sitting under-utilised four years after the former state government closed their doors.

An abandoned building at the old Fortitude Valley State School has become overgrown with weeds while it’s remained locked up for several years, sitting on land estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars in an area prized by Brisbane’s residential developers.

The former school site was saved from the auction block by the Palaszczuk Government in 2015, costing Education Queensland up to $50 million in funds.

Labor staunchly opposed asset sales during the last state election insisting the schools should be retained.

The gates remain locked at Fortitude Valley State School. Picture: Marc Robertson

It has since floated a proposal to turn the Fortitude Valley site into an alternative learning centre, but a department spokesman confirmed no plans have been confirmed, leaving the site a ghost town.

Stuart State School in Townsville is also sitting unused while the department of education contemplates its future use.

“The Queensland Government is currently considering options for the future use of the Stuart State School site,” a department of education spokesman told The Courier-Mail.

It served as a training ground for police two days a fortnight last year and was once floated as a location for a detox facility for ice users.

Other closed schools have been sold or reopened as new facilities. netting the state government almost $8 million.

Life Church purchased the old Nyanda State High School site in 2015 for $5.32 million and opened a new middle school and high school last year.

Old Yarranlea State School reopened as an independent primary school, Charlton State School was sold to the Public Safety Business Agency as the location of a new fire station for an undisclosed sum and Toowoomba South State School was sold to The Corporation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba for $2.337 million as a building to house administration staff.

The schools which were allowed to remain open have maintained or improved their enrolment numbers but many are still shy of reaching capacity.

Coorparoo Secondary College’s enrolment numbers jumped from just 102 students in 2013 to 423 last year.

But it still sits at just 45 per cent capacity while nearby Brisbane State High School, which would have taken over the site in the event of its closure, struggles at 98 per cent capacity as student numbers continue to skyrocket.

A proposal prepared by the former state government hopes that Everton Park State High School’s enrolment numbers would be lifted by a future population boost in the area. But enrolment numbers have stayed relatively steady at 230 in 2013 and 237 in 2016.

It still sits at less than 20 per cent capacity and is costing taxpayers an average of $17,239 a student, according to the most recent MySchool data, compared to an average of $9000 a student across the state.

Wyreema State School has more than doubled enrolments to 105 in 2016 almost reaching 100 per cent capacity.