The school was deemed non-operational earlier this year after no new enrolments were recorded for 2024, despite the school recently receiving $1.1 million in state government funding in 2021.
State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland attended the community consultation meeting, hosted by the Department of Education, to understand what the future holds for the cherished local school.
“This was a productive meeting that gave concerned locals an opportunity to hear about what’s next for Tooborac Primary School,” she said.
“The Department of Education has effectively committed to continue consulting with the community for the rest of the year as all possibilities are explored for how these facilities can be used.
“Additionally, they are looking to see if some form of basic education support can be offered through the campus during this time.”
While the community has advocated tirelessly for the school to be deemed operational again, there are several factors that need to be considered for the Department to re-open the campus.
The enrolment pressures and staffing shortages are a major hurdle in re-opening the facility.
“If closing the school is the only option, I am interested to see how these facilities can still be used for the betterment of the Tooborac community,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Particularly, if these facilities can be repurposed into a community space, disability support, childcare, or an early learning centre to address the lack of these options in the town.”
A Department of Education spokesperson said they have consulted with the Tooborac Primary School community.
“Consistent with the statewide government school timelines, parents and carers have from April 15 to July 26, 2024 to express their interest in enrolling their children at Tooborac Primary School,” they said.
Ms Cleeland said the decision to close the school so soon after investing a considerable sum of money into its facilities was symptomatic of the Victorian Government’s mismanagement of money and local schools.
“The situation in Tooborac is a testament to the Allan Labor Government’s inability to manage projects, manage money, and manage our education system,” she said.
“After spending over a million dollars on a brand-new building, we are now in a situation where students are displaced, families have been misled, and a school has been abandoned.
“The issues that resulted in the school closing were visible when the funding was provided to the school, but in typical Labor fashion they just threw money at the issue rather than trying to resolve the core problem.
“The Tooborac community deserves a lot of praise for their advocacy, although much of it wouldn’t have been necessary in the first place had the government effectively supported the local school.”
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