By Cam Lucadou-Wells
The State Government has kept election promises for free three-year-old kinder, new schools and school upgrades in the 2023-’24 State Budget.
However it has been accused of “taxing” schools and not doing enough to retain “burnt out” staff.
Among the kept promises were $24.2 million over three years for Hallam Secondary College, as well as upgrades at Cranbourne Park Primary School ($1.9 million), Cranbourne East Secondary College ($587,000) and Fleetwood Primary School in Narre Warren ($310,000).
Cranbourne Secondary College, James Cook Primary School, Lyndhurst Secondary College and Rangebank Primary School, which were promised multi-million-dollar upgrades at the state election, received funds for planning.
There is also $573 million for building nine new schools including Clyde North Primary School and Clyde North Secondary School, Pakenham North West Primary School, Thompsons West Primary School – all to open in 2025.
Planning and early works will begin for Casey Central Primary School, to open in 2026.
Additional stages will also be built at the recently-opened Clyde Secondary College.
However, there was no mention of three new schools promised at the 2022 election – Clyde Creek North Primary School, Clyde Creek North Secondary School and Ballarto Road Primary School.
Six new Tech Schools will be built including in Dandenong and Frankston, joining an existing campus in Casey.
The Government also will add a further $1.5 billion to expand its free three-year-old kinder, Best Start and Best Life programs.
It will support the Coleman Foundation with its Our Place model at Doveton College.
Berwick Liberal MP Brad Battin criticised the Government for “taxing “ independent schools to solve its “financial mess”.
It had removed payroll tax exemptions from more than 110 independent schools, leading to fee increases for struggling families, according to the Opposition.
“Taxing schools is not the answer to the Andrews Labor financial mess, we know many families are working hard to give their children options in education, and Labor want to penalise them.
“This desperate and heartless tax grab will see jobs go, increase pressure on the cost of living for many families and will push some schools to choose to cut costs or increase classes, both resulting in worse outcomes.”
The Australian Education Union state branch gave a mixed report card, slamming cuts to public school funding and Tafe and the response to teacher shortages.
The Government invested a further $204.8 million in attracting and retaining teachers, and providing more support for pre-service teachers.
However, AEU state president Meredith Peace said bold reforms and strategies such as retention payments and financial incentives for pre-service teachers were needed.
She praised the nine new schools but questioned how they would be staffed.
“We have many public schools in Victoria right now that do not have fully qualified teachers in front of classrooms.
“Teacher shortages are leaving many students in public schools high and dry without the support they need and contributing to the escalating workloads experienced by existing public school staff, causing them to burn out and walk away from their profession.”
Regarding Tafe, Ms Peace said: “Fee-free Tafe sounds good in a headline. But the reality is, Tafe in Victoria is not funded for the actual cost of course delivery.”
The ongoing rollout of ’Free Kinder’ was bringing many positive changes for children, families and the early childhood education workforce, she said.
