SCHOOLS in Kaniva, Dimboola and Stawell will share in about $7 million to construct new buildings and upgrade ageing infrastructure.
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The state government announced on Friday that Kaniva College, Dimboola Memorial Secondary College and Stawell Secondary College would be among six schools in western Victoria to receive money in the 2018-19 state budget.
Stawell’s college will receive $4 million for the first stage of its master plan, which will focus on auditorium, music, drama, home economics and science spaces.
Kaniva College – a prep to year 12 school – will receive $2.3 million to upgrade and modernise its buildings, while the Dimboola college will use its $600,000 share of the funding to do the same.
Dimboola Memorial Secondary College principal Anne Gawith was thrilled with the announcement.
“We've been wanting this for a very long time. We have a couple of great new buildings, but the majority are very much past their used-by date,” she said.
“Until we get some finer details and sit down with the Department of Education and the building authority we won't know exactly what we can and can't use the money for, but we'll be advocating hard to put it towards those buildings that are used every lesson, every day that are crying out for refurbishment.
“The need there is huge, so this is so exciting for our school and our community.”
Member for Western Victoria Jaala Pulford was in Stawell on Friday to announce Stawell Secondary College’s funding.
College principal Kevin O’Neil said students in the town deserved the best.
“This will help address some of the issues we have with buildings in the school,” he said.
The school approached the state government for funding in 2016, and received $500,000 towards its master plan in 2017.
Ms Pulford said there was nothing more important to parents than knowing their children had a bright future, and the government funding would ensure schools had the classrooms they deserved.
The government will invest $180.8 million to build and upgrade 60 regional Victorian schools in 2018-19.
The Victorian School Building Authority will work with each school to determine the scope of their projects.