Legislative Council electronic petition:
The petition of certain citizens of the state of Victoria, including of the children, parents, teachers and friends of Merri Creek Primary School (MCPS), draws to the attention of the Legislative Council the need to fund the next stage of the MCPS masterplan in the Victorian government’s 2018 budget.
Merri Creek Primary School is a wonderful place with a close-knit and supportive community. But frustratingly, we continue to miss out on the facilities our students need, and have been under-entitled in terms of funding for many years. We have one of the smallest school footprints in the state, and increasing enrolments have put even more pressure on its physical environment and facilities that staff staggered lunchbreaks by themselves cannot fix and affect all children, not staff only.
Sadly, MCPS does not have the space for all students to assemble and to listen to school presentations and watch student performances. The current communal area is simply not large enough, and for at least three years has not been able to seat all students, let alone teachers, parents and other visitors.
However, there is a solution within reach.
Thanks to support in the last budget, there now is a master plan for Merri Creek Primary School. MCPS have begun to implement the first stage of the plan, which is focused on the design of a new junior school.
MCPS now request an allocation in this year’s budget of $9.5 million to be able to prioritise the next stage of the much-needed building works from the master plan as soon as possible.
Stage 2 will provide MCPS with a gymnasium (with competition-sized basketball court), senior school and revamped specialist teaching areas and administration. The master plan also includes the provision of adequate classrooms and modernised learning and teaching spaces, in addition to an innovative rooftop learning and active play space to make the most of MCPS’s limited footprint.
Not only will these new facilities have an immeasurable positive impact on MCPS, it will also benefit the wider community, which is sorely lacking in basketball space.
Merri Creek Primary School is a great school and it desperately needs this budget commitment to bring it up to entitlement and to address the lack of facilities to meet and provide a quality physical education program.
The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the government and the Minister for Education, Hon. James Merlino, to support Merri Creek Primary School’s budget request and allocate the necessary funds.
By Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (670 signatures).
Laid on table.
