Government pledges all or nothing for much-needed Cranbourne Secondary College renovation
CRANBOURNE Secondary College will get “all or nothing” from the State Government to complete its badly needed middle school renovation.
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CRANBOURNE Secondary College will get “all or nothing” from the State Government to complete its badly needed middle school renovation.
Education Minister Martin Dixon said a decision would be made in the next two months on whether the $10 million-plus refit would take place in the near future.
After an inspection of the school last week, Mr Dixon said plans drawn up for the work on the science, art and home economics areas more than five years ago would be reviewed and re-costed shortly.
“The cost may be significantly more than the $10 million estimated then,” Mr Dixon said. “So we need to know what we are talking about. But it will be all or nothing. We will not do it piecemeal and we will announce a decision within the next two months.”
Mr Dixon said he was impressed with the scope and standard of education at the school and the way it had coped with the resources it had.
“It was important for me to see for myself what you have and what you need. It is helpful that the needs are clearly defined and are largely within existing buildings,” he said.
State Liberal candidate for Cranbourne Geoff Ablett said the refit was his top election issue. “There is no project more important to me than this one,” he said.
School principal Ken Robinson said after the inspection he wanted to see the project get under way as soon as possible. “We are serving a growing and vibrant community and we need everything this middle school renovation will provide,” he said.
School president Elvira Ritzert said she was happy with Mr Dixon’s comments in some areas. “I’m pleased he’s thinking about providing enough money to finish the project in one go, rather than stringing it out over several years,” Ms Ritzert said. “I’m also pleased he’s acknowledged the pivotal role this school plays in its community. I just hope he sees the need to move quickly when it comes to allocating money and getting on with the job.”
Opposition leader Daniel Andrews has promised to complete the renovation if Labor wins the November election. He said work would start early next year.