Asbestos hampers school upgrades

UNEXPECTED amounts of asbestos found during upgrades of two Geelong public schools have caused budget blowouts so big that students are going without basic facilities.

Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College and Geelong High School have had to pump funds allocated to desperatelyneeded school upgrades into removing asbestos and moving a Powercor substation.

Documents seen by the Addy show Matthew Flinders school council earlier this week said there was a shortfall of about $300,000 to complete the school’s upgrades.

In a letter written by Matthew Flinders college principal Michelle Crofts, and seen by the Addy, she says: “I feel outraged when there can be no money found to support us to address these issues.

“I see so much money spent on things that make me shake my head. For example, a few sets of glossy brochures principals receive … I feel like throwing my hands up in the air and quitting my role as principal.”

Ms Crofts writes how she has fought to keep the school viable by increasing enrolments and making “distressing” redundancies, “in a learning environment that is old, run-down and leaks every time it rains”.

In the letter, Ms Crofts explains that because the asbestos removal and moving the Powercor substation was chewing up refurbishment funds, the school was missing out on a new canteen, replacement of a wing in its heritage building and landscaping.

It is also going without a covered outdoor area for students with disabilities.

Ms Crofts explained the school’s “iconic garden learning space, which we share with Dial a Lunch for young people with disabilities, has been significantly destroyed and compromised” because of Powercor having to move a substation.

“Due to electromagnetic field within a 10m radius, it is no longer feasible to have students and staff in this area for any significant time.”

After questions from the Addy, and weeks out from a state election, Labor Geelong MP Christine Couzens pledged “an additional $3 million across both sites to ensure these projects can continue as planned” if the Government wins re-election.

She said she had been working with both schools on the issue for “some time”.

“We will not allow these issues to impact on the upgrades we’re making to Geelong High School and Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College,” Ms Couzens said.

“Nothing is more important than student safety and at both of these schools we have uncovered more asbestos than previously expected.

“There is no option but to remove this asbestos.”

In a separate announcement, Ms Couzens said Matthew Flinders would also get $200,000 for an outdoor sensory area and indoor inclusive learning space, which would support students with disabilities and additional needs.

Ms Crofts wrote a lack of communication from the Vic- torian School Building Authority had been “disempowering and extremely upsetting”.

Geelong High School’s $20.5 million three-stage redevelopment commenced in early 2017.

The school was ranked Geelong’s most run-down in 2011, with regular floods, asbestos, neglected ceilings and compromised disability access among its issues. The Government announced $7 million for upgrades at Matthew Flinders in 2016.

Liberal candidate Freya Fidge did not comment on Coalition funding for completing the upgrades if elected.