Wyndham council is calling on the state government to address a shortage of schools within the municipality, as population growth drives demand for more local educational facilities.
A council report has analysed school needs in Wyndham, based on population forecasts, enrolment data and Department of Education and Training’s School Provision benchmarks.
According to a council statement, the report’s findings “demonstrate there will be a significant shortage of school sites available to meet future demand”.
Mayor Peter Maynard said Wyndham already has the highest number of students per government school in Victoria.
“There are nearly 1000 students on average (983) per government school in Wyndham, compared to a Greater Melbourne average of about half that (554 students per government school),” councillor Maynard said.
“This Wyndham city report has found that one hectare of residential land now generates 45 per cent more school aged enrolments per hectare than a decade ago.
“By 2031, the number of schools required in Wyndham will exceed the number of school sites in Precinct Structure Plans by six – which includes three primary, two secondary and one specialist school.
“And by 2041 there will be a shortfall of 16 school sites – including 14 primary, one secondary and one specialist school.”
Cr Maynard said the council was “very grateful” for the state government’s investment in new schools, which have opened in Wyndham during the past few years.
As well, the 2020-21 state budget provided funding for the construction of five new government schools in Wyndham by 2024 and land acquisition for another five government schools.
“While those announcements were welcome, they are not enough to keep pace with our population,” Cr Maynard said.
“With more than 100 babies born each week in Wyndham, we need 75 new classrooms each year to keep up with this growing demand.”
Cr Maynard said the state government needed to urgently develop a comprehensive school provision plan for Wyndham, including enough new schools to avoid foreseeable future shortages.
A state government spokesperson said the government has opened eight new schools in Wyndham since 2018.
The spokesperson said that the state government has invested $74.3 million to upgrade seven existing schools in Wyndham.
