By Luke Voogt
About 50 parents protested on Wednesday against bureaucrats “short-changing” Chilwell Primary School students of a “vital” two-storey rebuild.
School council president Phil Joyce led the protest after Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) signed off on a refurbishment of an aged, “asbestos-ridden” wing instead.
“They’ve short-changed the kids, not just now, but for the next 20 years,” he said.
“We’re not going to see funding like this again for decades. As a taxpayer it’s just an abject waste of money where there could have been another solution.”
State Government allocated $2.4 million in its 2017/2018 budget for the school and initial plans indicated a $2,409,967 cost for a two-storey rebuild.
But a series of cost increases led to VSBA instead offering a “complete refurbishment” of the existing wing.
Cost estimates continued to rise until VSBA advised the school last July a two-storey building would cost $5.5 million
The school council obtained a quote from a Geelong building company for a two-storey rebuild for less than $2.4 million.
But VSBA then in a letter stated its intent to accept a tender from the same company for $1.4 million to complete the refurbishment.
Mr Joyce showed the Indy design documentation indicating $527,000 in “special factors” to “be justified” in the refurbishment.
The Indy understands special factors include non-standard building components, such as the removal of asbestos.
The Department of Education refused to explain the cost rises or its acceptance of a $1.4 million tender, stating the refurbishment would modernise classrooms and facilities.
VSBA “explored” a two-storey rebuild but a cost assessment showed it could not deliver the rebuild within budget, a department spokesperson said.
“They’re actually talking about starting work next week,” Mr Joyce said.
“It’s just mind-boggling. The vast majority of parents and teaching staff had said this is not right.”
Liberal MP Bev McArthur said the “unaccountable” and “dictatorial” VSBA had shown “blatant disregard” for the school council’s “numerous polite protestations”.
The Member for Western Victoria slammed Ms Couzens for missing a school forum earlier this month despite its council emailing an invitation and phoning her electoral office.
Ms McArthur criticised Ms Couzens and Education Minister James Merlino for failing to intervene.Before last November’s election Ms Couzens announced an extra $3 million to cover cost blowouts at two other Geelong schools.
She secured the funding through a government program removing dangerous asbestos at schools, she told the Indy this week.
She was unable to secure extra funding for Chilwell Primary School under the same program due to asbestos in the wing not being the most dangerous type, she explained.
Ms Couzens lobbied Mr Merlino for extra funding for the school, to no avail, she said.
State Government was already spending “unprecedented“ amounts on schools in her electorate, she added.
She said she did not “recall” being invited to the school’s forum earlier this month.
“If I was, I obviously had another commitment.”
She declined to comment on letter of intent from VSBA to the building company as she had not seen it, she said.
