Schools the big winners

By Sarah Schwager
CRANBOURNE schools will be the big winners no matter the outcome of the State Election.
Both the Liberal and Labor parties are rolling out money to Cranbourne schools in a bid to win voter preference.
Yesterday Education Minister Lynne Kosky announced the State Government would build two new schools in Cranbourne – Cranbourne North East Primary School on Silky Oak Drive and Central Casey Secondary College, to be built in Cranbourne North.
Reaffirming education as Labor’s number one priority, Ms Kosky also announced funding for maintenance of Cranbourne schools as well as land purchase for the provision of a new prep to year 12 school if it is re-elected.
Not to be outdone on schools, the Liberals also made a large commitment to education in Cranbourne.
Cranbourne Park Primary School would receive $69,084 in maintenance funding, Cranbourne Primary School $86,446, Cranbourne West Primary School: $335,717 and Cranbourne Secondary College would get $52,362.
Under Labor’s school policy, Cranbourne Park Primary School would receive maintenance funding of $192,939 and six new classrooms, Cranbourne Primary School $147,992, Cranbourne Secondary College $439,988, Cranbourne West Primary School would receive $58,915 for new staff toilets, Marnebek School $3.5 million for the construction of the new school, and Rangebank Primary School $1.5 million for a general purpose room, music room and library.
Ms Kosky also announced that Cranbourne Secondary College had been given the green light for Stage two of its master plan, which will see a new administration building, refurbishment to create a new library, junior school, staff area, home economics room and canteen.
Cranbourne Secondary College principal Yvonne Watts said the teaching rooms and library were all 30 years old and needed to be updated to keep up with the transformation of education.
Ms Watts said she was not surprised by the commitments to Cranbourne schools by both political parties.
“A couple of professors in recent times have added weight to the argument about facilities in schools,” she said.
“Kids only have one chance at education so we need to be able to do the best job we can and good facilities are very important to that.”
Ms Watts also stressed that the money invested in schools as part of the pre-election promises was a reflection of the huge enrolments in Cranbourne schools and of the growth in the area.
On Tuesday, Deputy Premier John Thwaites sited education and families as the top priorities in the south east.
Cranbourne MP Jude Perera said the government was committed to keeping Cranbourne schools up to date with urgent maintenance needs.
“This extra maintenance funding is another way the Bracks Government is investing in our education system and making Victoria a better place to live, work and raise a family,” Mr Perera said.
State Opposition education spokesman Martin Dixon disagreed on Labor’s commitment to education and said a Liberal Government would spend millions of dollars “eliminating Labor’s school maintenance backlog” in the Cranbourne electorate.
Liberal candidate for Cranbourne Luke Martin said that as a registered secondary teacher he was appalled by Labor’s neglect of Cranbourne’s schools.
“A Ted Baillieu Liberal Government would completely eliminate Labor’s school maintenance backlog in all of Cranbourne’s state primary and secondary schools by 2007,” Mr Martin said.