School sale hope

By Lia Bichel
IT is unlikely ICA Casey College will open as a school next year, it was announced this week.
Staff, students and their parents learned this month that the Narre Warren South and Melton schools would go into voluntary administration, with JP Downey taking over.
Last week, new administrator Jim Downey said there were more than 35 expressions of interest (EOIs) for a tender of the school and he hoped to announce a successful tender by last Friday.
On Tuesday, JP Downey released a statement that on their current indications, the Casey campus would not be open as a school in 2011, but was likely to re-open as a school in 2012.
The statement said following the review of the EOIs received, a short-list of qualified interested parties for each campus was prepared.
“From that list it is likely that two preferred parties, being one for each campus, will be given the initial opportunity to finalise a transaction. Both of these parties are already involved in operating schools in Victoria and have their own education model and curriculum.
“None of the EOIs that were capable of consideration contemplated retaining the ICA model. The sale of the two colleges on this basis means that the likely purchasers will not continue operating the schools in their existing form or continue the ICA curriculum.”