Local schools share in maintenance boost

Gary Maas MP on a previous visit to Hillsmeade Primary School.

Students at more than 200 schools across Victoria are set to benefit from an essential maintenance boost, thanks to the State Government.

Narre Warren South MP Gary Maas announced that two schools in the Narre Warren South electorate, Hillsmeade Primary School and Coral Park Primary School, are among the 230 schools that will share in $10.4 million of Planned Maintenance Program (PMP) funding.

PMP funding ensures schools can undertake essential work to grounds and classrooms such as fixing roofs and windows, painting, resurfacing floors and replacing windows, as well as external landscaping works like pathways and lighting.

Hillsmeade Primary School has been allocated a total of $105,000 for high priority maintenance tasks including $95,000 identified in the Specialist Assessment to address the school’s roof plumbing issues, and $10,000 identified in the Rolling Facilities Assessment for cladding repair, downpipe replacement, external floor repainting, roof repair, and wall repainting.

Coral Park Primary School will receive $60,000 including $35,000 for tasks identified in the Specialist Assessment for their roof plumbing issues and $25,000 for tasks identified in the Rolling Facilities Assessment such as air conditioner repair, cladding repair, fascia replacement, and shade structure repair.

More than $2.4 million will go towards maintenance to Shelter-in-Place buildings at 11 schools, which provides emergency accommodation to staff and students in the case of a bushfire.

The funding is on top of over $27 million of PMP funding already provided to 357 schools in the 2020 school year, and ensures existing buildings at Victoria’s 1,500 state schools are safe, modern and properly maintained.

Works are determined by an evaluation system which uses up-to-date information on the condition of schools to create a faster and more targeted allocation of PMP funding.

“It is important to continue maintaining our local schools to ensure that students have the facilities they need to achieve their best results,” Mr Maas said.

“Hillsmeade Primary and Coral Park Primary are great local schools and these works will help improve their facilities.”