New school slated for Pimpama
WORK will start on a new primary school in the fastgrowing north as part of a $114 million spend on education upgrades, but many of those close to capacity have missed out.
Palm Beach State School, which is at 92 per cent capacity and about to run out of room, and Currumbin State School (91 per cent) will not have classroom extensions in the next year.
This is despite Treasurer Jackie Trad yesterday saying the Government was “increasing our investment in education infrastructure by a massive 80 per cent on last year’s budget”.
Budget papers reveal funding for education infrastructure on the Gold Coast will increase by $32.8 million this year from about $82 million in 2018-19.
In a bid to keep up with the exploding population the State Government has committed $54.2 million to a new primary school on Yawalpah Rd, Pimpama, $14.8 million of which will be spent in the 2019-20 financial year.
According to the latest education data, the area’s other close-to-capacity schools will receive more than $3 million each for extra classrooms.
The utilisation rate at Pimpama State School is 98 per cent. Pimpama State Primary College is at 74 per cent.
An injection of $43.5 million will go to the yet-to-be named new Coomera High School $14.8 million of $54.2 million build. $8.3 million of $8.7 million for a new building with eight class rooms and one flexible learning space.
$3.1 million of $6.5 million for new classrooms.
$3.9 million of $5.5 million for new building with eight classrooms.
$4.2 million of $9.9 million for new building with eight classrooms and seven specialist areas.
which is under construction on Foxwell Rd. The funding is part of a $54 million construction commitment to stage one of the school, which will open next year.
Coomera and Pimpama are estimated to be home to 63,762 and 25,931 people respectively by 2036. At the 2016 Census, they were 13,305 and 9396.
Since 2015, 654 teachers have been added to the Gold Coast network, an increase of 14.5 per cent. (See table above for full funding rollout.)
LNP Member for Bonney Sam O’Connor said he was disappointed that the older schools in his area did not get funding.
“I have some of the oldest schools in the city but we have not seen a cent delivered to them,” Mr O’Connor said. $3.7 million of $7 million for new building with 12 classrooms and three specialist areas.
$2.1 million of $10.4 million for new building with seven classrooms and eight specialist areas.
$6.5 million of $7.6 million for new building with 12 classrooms and one flexible learning space.
$2.2 million of $10.5 million for new building with six classrooms and two specialist areas.
$15 million to refurbish and expand training facilities.
“Arundel State School for example is at a point where it is renting land from council to rest demountables. We aren’t seeing the funding we need.”
Southport MP Rob Molhoek said school funding was the first thing he looked for in the Budget.
“None of the schools in my electorate – Ashmore, Bellevue, Benowa or Southport State School – got any extra funding, and we are such a fast-growing area,” he said. “The money for Southport State High was already committed, so there is nothing new for our schools.”
A major boost of $15 million has been committed to refurbishing and expanding the Gold Coast’s TAFE training facilities as part of a state election commitment.