Consecutive governments from both sides of the political divide have failed Beechworth children, say residents.
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Next Wednesday, the community will gather and lead a discussion about the state of Beechworth Secondary College which they say was again “denied urgent funding” in the 2018-19 Victorian budget.
Mayor Jenny O’Connor said the meeting was organised by concerned residents, not the council.
She said the college was being let down by its outdated and substandard facilities.
“It’s not fair because the standard of teaching and the commitment from staff is enormous but they’re battling that first impression,” she said.
Member for Benambra Bill Tilley assured residents he understands the need for action.
“[The government] have ignored the pleas from the school and the parents,” he said.
Cr O’Connor said for a decade the community had been promised improvements to the school, from both political parties – but none had come.
“It’s been an ongoing community concern for around 10 years but neither side when they were in government have given the resources needed,” she said.
“Plenty of money has been given to planning, so the community expectation was that there would be money given for work, but that hasn’t happened.”
Cr O’Connor said the low standard and poorly climate controlled classroom were affecting the community’s appeal as a whole.
“Parents are less likely to send their children there, more are sent out of town and ultimately that has a long-term impact on the community – those children won’t feel connected to the community,” she said.
An Education Department spokesman said they were aware of the benefits of the college’s upgrade project.
“The reality is that we are unable to fund every project in every budget and the needs of more than 1500 Victorian schools must be balanced.”
The school did not respond. The meeting will be held at Quercus from 7.30pm,