By JONATHON HOWARD
QUEENSLAND Teachers’ Union president Kevin Bates says amalgamations of several small schools across Warwick and Stanthorpe is a possibility, as the State Government considers regional school closures.
Mr Bates said the LNP’s focus on amalgamating schools, mentioned in a Ministerial brief, was understandable.
“We would acknowledge that there are locations around Queensland where there are a very large number of schools in a very small space,” he told News Limited reporters this week.
“Places like the Lockyer Valley and around Warwick and Stanthorpe there are 10 and 15 schools within a 40-minute drive of a major centre, so there would be opportunities there for a more realistic approach to the way those schools operate.
“You would expect some attention to rationalising the number of schools.
“But it must be done in consultation with those communities.”
Queensland Association of State School Principals (QASSP) president Hilary Backus said they had raised similar ideas in their paper Building Bright Schools.
“Certainly for school communities where two schools are really close together amalgamation is a definite possibility, so you would rebrand the new school and combine two,” she said.
The Building Bright Schools paper notes: “QASSP has also considered the sensitive issue of the possibility of consolidating the number of schools and has resolved that it will support a process that examines this issue and actively support any resulting decision to amalgamate schools where that is considered necessary.’’
Treasurer Wayne Swan has slammed the plan, branding it “some kind of sick joke”.
“While Prime Minister Julia Gillard wants to boost overall funding to Queensland schools to the tune of $3.8 billion, the Newman Government wants to auction off schools to the highest bidder,” Mr Swan said.
“There has never been a starker example of the differences between Labor and the LNP – we’re about better schools, they’re about selling schools.
“This is yet another example of Campbell Newman going too far with his cuts to the bone.
“The time has come for Minister (John-Paul) Langbroek to start acting like a real Minister and show some leadership in the interests of Queensland kids.”
Minister Langbroek has confirmed the education department is considering school closures in Queensland.
But he told ABC radio the number was yet to be decided as there were other factors that had to be taken into account in deciding whether a school faced closure.
He said the State Government would be looking at all schools across Queensland over the next couple of months.
