Werribee Secondary College is stepping up pressure on the state government to provide $7 million to replace buildings it says are potential death traps.
It will hold an “urgent” public meeting to gain community support for critical works to replace buildings that “pose a significant risk to student and teacher safety”, according to deputy principal Greg Lentini.
He said audits had identified thousands of safety, non-compliance and fire-hazard risks. The school has commissioned a comprehensive, evidence-based business case to be submitted to the government next month, calling for immediate funding.
Mr Lentini said this went outside normal funding protocols, which had led to the school’s funding requests sitting in the Education Department’s financing “pipeline” since it was promised a total rebuild in 2006. A fire started by possums chewing electrical wires destroyed the technology wing two years before that.
Mr Lentini said outdated buildings, including one dating back to the 1940s and two others to the 1950s, had the same problems with vermin. Three electrocuted possums had been found in the buildings in the past 18 months.
“The college council has declared it imperative that the safety and wellbeing of the children and staff are no longer compromised,” he said.
Committee for Wyndham chief executive Chris Potaris said public support was vital.
“We have to send a clear and unambiguous message to the government that they must allocate the required $7 million funding for these works in the upcoming state budget,” he said.
A department spokesman said the school’s needs “will be considered as part of future budget deliberations”.
“[But the] department’s emergency maintenance program [also] helps schools with insufficient funds to fix unforeseen infrastructure issues which pose an immediate risk to the health and safety of staff, students or visitors,” he said.
The public forum will be held at the school on December 4 from 6-7.30pm.
