School stimulus demolition to go ahead

[annielaurie]

Controversial school stimulus demolition to go ahead

Oct 28/2009

A Sydney public school has lost its battle to have a newly-renovated block of classrooms demolished and re-built under the Federal school stimulus program ...

Last month Federal Education Minister Julia Gillard said she would review the decision at Abbotsford Primary, after outcry from the school community.

The P and C had been calling for the $2.5 million grant to be used to put extra classrooms on the grounds instead, to deal with a rise in enrolments.

But school council President Lyn Reynolds says they have since been told the original plans will be going through.

"We have been unable to reach Ms Firth, we've been unable to reach Ms Gillard," she said.

"We've been unable to speak with anyone in relation to this project, but what we have had in return is letters stating the Department of Education is going to go ahead with their original project."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009 ... ?site=news

Discussion here ...

[Jovial Monk]

The school building is quick infrastructure, part of the stimulus. If the school had had plans ready for the new class rooms I am sure they would have been successful.

[Lefteee]

With a huge national project, there are bound to be a few fuck ups here and there.

Of course, that NEVER happens with the private sector does it? Like when the local council flogged off it's waste management services and the service that was at least relatively reliable suddenly became rather unreliable. Bins no longer being collected on time - I've been waiting 2 fucking weeks for a couple of skips to be removed and replaced, I've got a shitload of mess on the ground and a directive from higher up to remove all possible fire hazards. I can't remove them if no barstard will turn up to take the stuff away. Several angry phone calls later, I've been assured they will come tomorrow. Yeah, we'll see.

We're getting a new library and a new hall. It will create much needed space.

[Jovial Monk]

Re the schools, in the runup to the next election there will be no guarantee re the private schools funding, so in the next term Rudd/Gillard can work on a proper funding policy for ALL schools. It has been frustrating seeing all that money going to schools that don't need it (not talking about the school building program, that is stimulus spending, not really educational in its fundamental objective) and whose head masters don't really want it. Yet another piece of policy shit left over from the Howard/Costello disaster.

[Lefteee]

Yeah, huge sums going to places like Scotch college and Churchie. Welfare for the well-off while calling for reductions in public spending. More neo-liberal policy shit.

[JW.Frogen]

It is always a bad idea to give educators more money.

A gold plated stapler on every desk!!!!!!!!