Merger questioned
7th May 2010
http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/story/88549
Published In
Star
Williamstown, Altona, Laverton Star
Merger questioned
QUESTIONS have been raised over whether there was appropriate community consultation in the lead-up to the merger between Altona Secondary College and Altona West Primary.
Shadow Minister for Education Martin Dixon said in the Hobsons Bay area many parents were concerned about the merger of Altona Secondary College and Altona West Primary School to create the P-9 Altona College.
"School councils have been put into an awful position by the Brumby Government and many have had to make decisions about the future of their schools with limited information, compressed timelines, inducements such as special capital funding or threats of no future funding if schools didn't merge," he said.
According to Mr Dixon, the Ombudsman expressed concern about the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development's ability to state with any certainty that the community supported the decisions made by school councils.
Mr Dixon said the process for major decisions needed improvement and should be conducted and recorded so as to ensure school councils' decisions were representative of the community's wishes.
Hobsons Bay Councillor Tony Briffa said the new facilities at the Altona College were lovely, but no longer provided classes for Years 10, 11 and 12.
"This was, in effect, a school closure rather than a straight merger because previously the Altona High School provided classes through to Year 12," he said.
"Now we don't have a public high school providing VCE classes in the whole of the Altona, Altona Meadows and Seaholme area, forcing students to go to Bayside."
P-9 Altona College principal Nathan Chisholm did not wish to comment as he was not involved in the merge but said it did involve community consultation.
Outgoing president of Altona College School Council Trevor Cassidy said the whole community and parents wanted to retain the school to Year 12.
"That's why there were a lot of people who left - they voted with their feet, they walked," he said.
A Department of Education and Early Childhood Development spokesperson said the government had invested $33.6 million in the Altona Bayside Education Precinct since 2007 to support the community in their plans to improve the education of young people.
"Students from Altona College can go on to Years 10-12 at both the Paisley Campus of Bayside College and the brand new $18.9 million Point Cook Senior Secondary College," he said.
"Both colleges maintain a high standard of education excellence and continue to maintain close links with Altona College."
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