New inner-Hobart high school on the agenda

A NEW high school for inner Hobart is being considered by the State Government.

The Budget has revealed $300,000 had been set aside for next financial year for school infrastructure planning.

The Government said the priority was assessing the feasibility of a new inner-city secondary school for Hobart.

A Government spokeswoman said no decision had been made about whether a new high school for Hobart would go up to year 10 or to year 12.

She said the new school was being considered because of “massive growth” of inner-city schools, particularly Taroona.

The feasibility study would consider the impact on surrounding schools, including Taroona High School, she said.

The State Budget included funds to implement the proposed lower school starting age — provided that measure passes Parliament later this year — a continued focus on student health and wellbeing, and for school building upgrades.

“Over the Budget and forward estimates period we will invest $6.4 billion into education, an increase of more than a quarter of a billion dollars compared to last year’s Budget,” Treasurer Peter Gutwein said.

A total of $57 million would be spent over four years to implement the new Education Act, primarily the proposed lower school starting age, including $24.2 million, starting in 2020, to meet additional costs associated with the lower starting age and increased leaving requirements, $18 mil- lion for capital works, and $5.3 million over two years for the childcare sector, which is worried about the impact a lower starting age would have on childcare centres.

Professional development for kinder to year 2 teachers also would start at the beginning of next year to prepare teachers for younger students.

The Government has announced a continuation and expansion of its focus on student health and wellbeing.

The school nurse program will expand to government district schools from July, and more speech pathologists, psychologists and social workers would be in schools from July.

A child and student wellbeing unit, costing $1.6 million over four years, will be established and suicide prevention group SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY will receive $250,000 to work with schools.

Programs to help disengaged students return to education and training will be continued and expanded with $5 million over four years.

The Australian Education Union’s Tasmanian branch president Helen Richardson said the budget was “light on detail and heavy on spin”.

“We don’t see the Hodgman Government making up for the Gonski funding cuts coming from the Federal Government,” Ms Richardson said.

“The net result is that Tasmanian public schools will go backwards in resources.”

The Tasmanian Association of State School Organisations has welcomed the focus on student health and wellbeing and the continuation of programs for disengaged students.

Association vice president, Lisa Gillard said the association looked forward to being involved in discussions about a new Hobart high school.

Increased capital funding to Tasmania’s Catholic education sector … is recognition of Catholic education’s significant contribution to Tasmanian society Tasmanian Catholic Education Commission chair MICHAEL POLLEY