Casey schoolbunfight

By Lia Bichel
THE Coalition Government has come under fire from the Labor Party, which claims growing Casey education needs are being neglected.
Narre Warren South MP Judith Graley said the Baillieu Government made it clear that a Cranbourne North school proposed by the Labor Party during the election campaign would not go ahead.
Ms Graley said the proposed Casey Central East Primary School, in the development area bordered by Clyde Road and Thompsons Road, would give students in Casey a state-of-the-art learning environment and provide teachers with the facilities to provide a world-class education.
“We need a new primary school for our local community,” she said.
“Our community is a fast-growing area with existing schools at or near full capacity.”
Ms Graley said the Baillieu Government was “turning its back” on the families and students in the area. Shadow Minister for Education Rob Hulls said the Baillieu Government was upgrading schools based on political, rather than educational, need.
But James Martin, a spokesperson for Education Minister, said Ms Graley and Mr Hulls were being deliberately misleading and were “treating the residents of Casey as fools.”
“At no stage while in their 11 years in government did the Labor Party provide funding to build this school,” Mr Martin said.
“This so-called promise to build a school was made by the Labor Party during the last election campaign and was nothing more than an election stunt. At no time while in government had they actually allocated money to the construction of this school.”
Mr Martin said the Coalition at last year’s election had a “transparent list of schools that it would build or upgrade” during its first term in government. This list included a new secondary school and special development school in Officer.
“While the Coalition Government is committed to building and upgrading in this term the schools it identified and promised at the last election, it will also continue to work closely with the Education Department to monitor the need for new schools in growth areas,” Mr Martin said.
“Prior to the last election many of the schools identified by the Coalition for funding were actually in Labor electorates. The fact that many of these are now marginal seats is due to Labor’s neglect of their local communities.”