Member for Davidson, Jonathan O’Dea has renewed his call for urgent action on desperately needed capital works for Killara High School.
“The school is running out of room and many of the existing facilities are in such a poor state of repair, it risks not meeting the Government’s own OH&S standards”, Mr O’Dea said. Increasing enrolments has meant the school now qualifies for at least another two demountables, taking the total to sixteen!
“The additional demountables threaten to transform the school grounds so they resemble a park for mobile homes,” Mr O’Dea said. “Will the next step be tents so the school appears like a camping and caravan park?
The Member for Davidson said, “The school, with almost 1,500 students is one of the biggest in the state but it sits on just 3 hectares of land – or about half that of a typical high school – and desperately needs to expand.
“I again draw the Government’s attention to a proposal, currently before the Department of Education, for a new building on the site and to provide for much needed expansion by utilising Crown Land opposite the school, presently designated for recreational use. These proposals are included in a comprehensive business plan, developed by the community through the Killara High School P & C Association,” Mr O’Dea said.
“Despite the less than ideal accommodation, the school continues to deliver outstanding results – so much so that some parents have resorted to nominating “guardians” in the local area to help ensure their children qualify for local enrolment at the school.
“The Government however, appears to be ignoring the plight of parents, staff and especially the students, by excluding Killara High School from a recent list of even minor school building projects and making no mention of it in recent budget processes.
“I again call on the Minister and Parliamentary Secretary for Education to work with their Department and support the school with its requests. I have also invited them to visit the site to see first hand, the urgent need for upgrading and expansion,” Mr O’Dea concluded.
