June 17 - Mayor to McKim

17^th June 2011

Nr Nick McKim, MP

Minister for Education and Skills

Level 9, Marine Board Building

1 Franklin Wharf

HOBART  TAS  7000

Dear Minister McKim,

I write on behalf of the Derwent Valley Council to express our dismay and anger at the decision to possibly close grades 7 - 10 of Glenora District High School (GDHS).

Council understands that these are difficult financial times, and that there have been tough decisions to be made, however we along with many members of our community feel that this decision shows scant regard for the importance of schools in regional communities.

I note from the list published in your media release on 16^th June 2011 that of the twenty schools listed for possible closure, sixteen are in regional or rural towns. Yet another important service may be lost from many of these towns that are already struggling to keep the fabric of their communities intact.    These schools are not only places of learning; they are the hub of communities.  The GDHS has a proud history of being an integral part of a strong community, it is the a meeting place for many parents as they drop off and collect children, sometimes the only social contact that some residents of more remote areas have in a day.  It provides a community venue, has a Skill Share Centre, Child Care facilities and an Online Access Centre. 

I understand that the current proposal is to close grates 7-10, but as a community this presents many concerns to us.  If these grades cease to be taught at the school, where is the guarantee that at some time in the future the primary school section of the school will not cease to be utilised.   This is of particular concern as the Premier is reported in today’s paper as saying that ‘half empty’ schools can not continue.  If students are taken from the school, surely it will become less full.

 

I believe the GDHS has a number of enrolments from the now closed High School Section of the Ouse High School.  How is the education of these young people going to be impacted by yet another change of school due to an ever changing State Government Education policy.

Both Maydena Primary and Westerway Primary feed High School Students into Glenora District High, are these young people expected to travel another 20-30 minutes each day to reach New Norfolk High School?  (This additional time could bring the travelling time for students from Maydena well past the Premier’s nominated 45 minute travel time.) In winter on icy and foggy roads this poses a threat to the safety of those young people, and their bus driver.  It will also considerably lengthen an already long day, again especially in the winter when it will be dark when children leave home and return.

Has consideration been given to the effect that this will have on the community as a whole? 

There is much currently being said about supporting regional communities; this seems to be severely lacking in this proposal.  If years 7 – 10 close at Glenora District High what will happen to the Skills Centre there as many of the young people there will no longer be in the area.  This is just one example of the loss of a service to a regional area.  When areas such as this loose services, families are forced to reconsider their lives, and some are forced to move on, a drop in population leads to a drop in services, such as Police (there is currently a Police Officer stationed at Bushy Park) and in other communities where there are more services often health and transport services also move out of the area.  Soon the only people who are left in an area are those that can not afford to leave, leading to a drab and impoverished existence for some. 

These are just a few examples of the importance of a local school in a regional community, there are many, many more that I could bring to your attention to highlight not only the social but also the economic and emotional impacts of this poorly considered and ill planned decision.

I note from your media release of the 16^th June 2011 that you will be conducting a “genuine consultation process” and will meet “fact-to-face with all potentially affected school associations”.  Although I applaud the concept of a consultation process, why is this being limited to only school associations and not the general communities that will be affected by these proposed closures.  As I have indicated earlier, it is not only those people who have children enrolled in a school that are affected by these closures; it also threatens the fabric of many small communities.

Council would therefore requests that  the opportunity to attend consultations to be extended to the broader community in the area, as well as Councillors in order for the full effects of these proposed changes to be felt by those who are making them.

 

Premier Giddings is reported to have said in the Budget Speech:

"Mr Speaker, a government can make no more important investment than in looking after children and supporting families".

It would seem from the actions regarding this school closure that that is the furthest thing from anyone’s mind if this measure were to go ahead.

Yours sincerely

Martyn Evans

Mayor

Council press statement

DERWENT VALLEY COUNCIL

MEDIA RELEASE

LABOR GREEN GOVERNMENT SHAFTS REGIONAL COMMUNITIES

17 June 2011

Derwent Valley Mayor Martyn Evans today expressed his dismay at the State Government’s decision to consider closing schools.

“I note from the list of schools identified in Minister McKim’s media release that the vast majority of these are in regional and rural areas. 

“This is a real kick in the teeth for these areas, and a very short sighted move on the part of the State Government.

“I understand that these are tough economic times, but closing schools is a false economy.  When the school is closed or downgraded, the whole community suffers, and so does the regional economy of the area”, Mayor Evans said.

Glenora District High School in the Derwent Valley has recently received $975, 000 in upgrades from the Autralian Government’s Building the Education Revolution, and is the only High School between the West Coast and New Norfolk since the closure of the High School at Ouse.  The school serves students from  Westerway and Maydena Primary Schools, and has a Skills Centre, Child Care facilities and an Online Access Centre attached. Many of the facilities in the school are used by the community such as the newly refurbished Multi Purpose Centre.

“Glenora, like many other regional schools, is the hub of the community, it’s a place that parents meet and talk about what’s happening, and it helps to build the fabric of the community.

“There is much currently being said about supporting regional communities; this seems to be severely lacking in this proposal. 

“If years 7 – 10 close at Glenora District High what will happen to the Skills Centre there as many of the young people there will no longer be in the area.  

“When areas such as this lose services, families are forced to reconsider their lives, and some are forced to move on, a drop in population leads to a drop in services, such as Police and in other communities where there are more services often health and transport services also move out of the area. 

“Some parents may decide that if the High School closes it is better to send their child to Primary School in New Norfolk as well, to avoid disruption.  This leaves us with a community without a school, but with another large empty building courtesy of the State Government, in our Municipality,”.

“In the long term, this may mean that fewer people choose to move to rural and regional areas, because they can not be sure that services will remain.  Communities collapse, small businesses close and land prices go down, leaving people stuck with no option but to sell. 

“We have seen this happen already in too many rural and regional communities. 

“This is a poorly thought out, inept and blunt tool to solve an issue that should be looked at in terms of the survival of communities, not in dollar terms,” Martyn Evans said.

At a Derwent Valley Council Meeting on the 16^th June, many Councillors expressed their dismay at the possible closure of the school, and have requested that the Mayor make contact with State Government Ministers to lobby on behalf of the community.

Saving Glenora High

AT tonight's Derwent Valley Council meeting I put the following questions without notice to the mayor:

• Will you make an immediate representation to Premier Lara Giddings to protest the proposed closure of the high school section of Glenora District High School as foreshadowed in today's State Budget?
• Will you advise Education Minister Nick McKim of the importance of Glenora District High School being maintained in its current form?

The mayor said he would do so.

June advertisement

BELOW is my latest councillor update, published in last week's issue of the Derwent Valley Gazette.

It's your turn, Lachlan

THIS month's meeting of the Derwent Valley Council will be held at the Lachlan Community Hall at 6.30pm this Thursday. A community forum will be held immediately before the meeting, starting at 5.45pm. The forum provides an informal opportunity for residents of the local area to ask questions or raise matters of concern.

A public question period is also available during the formal part of the meeting. These must be submitted in writing at least 10 minutes before the start of the meeting and the council requires that the questions be asked in person. A copy of the public question policy can be download here.

Willow Court talks

A FULL and frank discussion on the realities of the Willow Court site was held during a Special Closed Council Meeting on Thursday night. Strong views were expressed by those present (two councillors were absent). I voted against the meeting being closed to the public.

Councillors did not support my motion to make public the decision of this meeting, but they did agree to a follow-up motion to issue a public statement to the effect that the council was writing to Heritage Minister Brian Wightman in regard to future options for Willow Court and was seeking his urgent attention to the matter. 

Time to review Willow Court position

I HAVE asked that a special council meeting be held this week to review the council's position on the handback of the Willow Court site. The mayor has agreed and the meeting will be on Thursday at 6.30pm in the courthouse at New Norfolk. My reasons are as follows:

• The council has spent a year unsuccessfully negotiating to return the remainder of Willow Court to the State Government
• The State Government clearly has no intention of fulfilling its election promise to resume ownership of the site
• The council has done nothing with the Willow Court development strategy (the MacDonald report) it received two months ago
• The mayor's failure to convene a promised meeting with its Willow Court Committee to discuss implementation of the MacDonald report 
• Continuing vandalism of heritage buildings on the site as reported in last week's Derwent Valley Gazette.

UPDATE - May 10: Having received a copy of the agenda documents in today's mail, I was disappointed to learn that it had been decided to hold this week's Willow Court debate in closed session. Willow Court has been mired in secrecy for too long and the council seems to have learned little about the public's desire for information and action.