Chocolate Drives and Fetes will continue to Fund School Improvements

When the Building the Education Revolution (BER) program was announced by the Rudd Labor government, schools were promised that every one of Australia’s schools would be eligible for the funding. This would be used for ‘maintenance and renewal of school buildings and minor building works’. However, many schools have been encountering problems with the program.

Unfortunately, some schools that have applied for priority projects, such as the installation of replacement air-conditioners, or new building projects, that fall outside the restrictive program guidelines, have been told these applications will not be allowed. Instead, these schools are being forced to direct funds towards projects that do not address the needs of their school.

Fundraising efforts through school fetes, chocolate drives, market days and levies on parents will need to continue to take place – their priority projects for their children’s needs are being discounted.

After the program was implemented it was revealed that such a fiasco is occurring locally in our area. Local school communities with dedicated school councils who know best the needs of their school have been by-passed by bureaucratic process and the political requirements from Canberra.

For example while we all applaud the improvements taking place at Blackburn High School and congratulate the State Government for finally directing much needed funds to the school, we now have the absurd situation of Canberra bureaucracy gone mad. Only two years after a state-of-the-art renovation to the school library block, BER funding of $9 million is being directed towards gutting and reconstructing all three floors of the building.

No one is opposed to money for schools, but we should all denounce the obvious waste taking place. “What a waste and how frustrating must it be for parents who could easily identify a better use for the money at their school.

It is also concerning that some schools, who have obtained value-for-money quotes from local businesses, have been made to use expensive government-approved contractors instead.

School communities, who are experiencing difficulties with any Government program, should contact Phil at phil.barresi@vic.liberal.org.au with your concerns and how the system could be improved.