By Jaidyn Kennedy
Manorvale Primary School has been “strung along” by the state government, according to a frustrated parent.
Paul Lowery, who became school council president in 2022, said the government has stalled in delivering several vital upgrades and repairs to the Werribee school.
He listed the delivery of anew administration building for staff as the most pressing concern as the existing administration building was riddled with maintenance and structural issues that are “beyond repair”.
According to Mr Lowery, multiple rooms in the building have mould and water leaks that drip on staff computers and working spaces.
“You have people in the office with dripping water right next to their computers,” he said.
“That’s somebody’s work place and it’s been the same since I joined the council three years ago.
“Another workplace and you would get sent home for that.”
Mr Lowery said quotes to repair the current building have exceeded $300,000 and are financially impractical when the building is planned to be demolished.
“You are sort of held in limbo, because you are not going to spend money on fixing something that is going to be knocked down,” he said.
He said the plans for the school’s upgrade were finalised in the second quarter of 2023 and that more than $12 million of funds were allocated to deliver them.
“The architects have been out and done the designs for the new admin building and new learning areas, but it’s pretty much been shovel ready for a year,” he said.
Continued delays to beginning the demolition and construction stages might be costing the school long term, he said.
“Twelve million dollars budgeted two years ago might not be worth that much today when you factor in things like inflation and changing needs, hypothetically, you might need $15 million to deliver the same thing now.
“We just want our school to be at a standard that the kids deserve.
“You want the kids to have the best experience at school and have the best chance of succeeding, delays don’t help with that.”
The main fence, which has not been replaced since the school opened in 1982, also is a major safety concern for staff and parents, Mr Lowery said.
“On a busy road with traffic, and anybody walking past, kids can easily get out and endanger themselves.
“There’s definitely been occasions where kids have been outside the school and staff have had to go out and to try and retrieve them.
“You also have the river nearby, kids are curious as well, so I would say that just adds to the hazard.”
The school is currently in the process of upgrading the fence using its own budget, but is awaiting approval from the state government.
However, Mr Lowery said that the state government footing the bill for the fence would allow the school to put its budget to things that better benefit the students.
“It helps us spend more of our budget directly on the kids, as opposed to something like fixing a fence,” he said.
“That could be a new playground, an additional soccer pitch, something that is more tangible for the kids.
“We would think that is something that the state government should be funding anyway.”
According to Mr Lowery, delayed upgrades and refurbishments may be a deterrent to parents considering enrolling their children at Manorvale.
“Obviously it deters people from coming, like it or not, people judge books by their cover,” he said.
“We are a lower socioeconomic area, so these sort of upgrades are really important in ensuring our kids have an even chance.”
The Department of Education was contacted for comment.
