MOUNT Clear College will receive $2.1 million as part of the Victorian Budget, but the school’s acting principal says more is needed to address the secondary school’s ageing facilities.
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Member for Buninyong Geoff Howard made the funding announcement at the school on Friday, telling awaiting media it was a “starting point”.
“This is a big boost to see them be able to update parts of the school that are starting to need attention,” he said.
“$2.1 million won’t get all of those projects done … but I’ll be continuing to advocate for further funds for Mount Clear to allow them to continue.”
When asked by The Courier why Labor didn’t commit to any major improvement works at the school earlier, he said there were three state high schools in his electorate that were “all worthy of funding” at the time of the Victorian election.
“Phoenix received funding … to complete a complete re-build of Phoenix which needed it. Ballarat Secondary College is changing from a three campus structure to a two campus structure, so it clearly needs funding to support years 11 and 12 moving onto the East and Wendouree sites,” he said.
“So I’m really pleased that on top of our election promise that we’ve made to the other schools, Mount Clear will get the opportunity for significant upgrades.”
“It’s important to ensure we have space available in schools to meet the need to grow and that we keep addressing those issues as time goes by to modernise our schools,” he said.
Mount Clear College’s acting principal Jenny Bromley said the funding would be used to upgrade the school’s science, technology, engineering and maths area.
“For us that means we will be able to address planned capital works … so students have the opportunity to study in state-of-the-art facilities,” she said.
She said it was important to invest in science, technology, engineering and maths facilities with research showing 75 per cent of jobs will relate to the areas in five years time. But Ms Bromley said more funds were needed to update the school’s other facilities. Last year The Courier reported a refurbishment of the school would cost more than $13 million.
Mr Howard said he was hopeful more funding would be announced for the school in the next budget.
