A BUILDING at the Napoleons Primary School could be taken away by the Education Department with the modified portable housing their Library, Art and LOTE rooms expected to be relocated to another school.
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Despite a community campaign by the parents association at the school, a modified portable building, which has become central to the school’s construction, is expected to be removed by the department.
Widespread support from both sides of politics looks set to fall on deaf ears in the department, which did not respond to questions from The Courier on whether a review of the decision was under way.
The department also gave no indication as to when the removal would take place or what stage the process was at.
Removing the portable would mean up to $90,000 would be needed to reconstruct walls and to reconfigure parts of the current building.
School council president Joanne Gilbert said the school had worked hard to paint the portable and incorporate it into the current building on the basis they would be allowed to keep it permanently.
“If you were to take it away, you are taking away the heart of the school,” she said.
“When you come into a small town, it is not just a school, the whole town revolves around it and when you start to eat into the side of that you start to eat into the whole fabric of the town.”
A department spokesman said the building was to be removed because the school had too many classrooms for its size.
“Napoleons Primary School has a current enrolment of 105 students, and will still have the capacity to cater for up to 150 students with six permanent classrooms (after the removal),” he said.
“The walls and any other affected infrastructure will be reinstated by the department as part of the removal process.
“The area where the relocatable classroom is situated will be levelled and made safe for use and in many cases provides additional recreational space for children.”
Ms Gilbert said a visit by the department many years ago had resulted in an agreement the portable would stay.
However, no paperwork was kept of the understanding.
The department did not respond to questions regarding this understanding.
The meeting occurred shortly after a separate building was constructed at the school under the Building the Education Revolution funding from the former federal government.
“Essentially, if you ignore the BER building, we are not over entitled because this building was part of the original funding when the new school was built,” Ms Gilbert said.
“It was not a tack-on or an add-on, it was part of the original building.
“When we were given that building out the back, we were told this building could be kept.
“We are not asking for any money, we are just saying, leave us with what we have.”
matthew.dixon@fairfaxmedia.com.au