General News
7 August, 2024
Horsham school community welcomes $3,600,000 funding boost
Financial boost for Victoria's catholic schools
St Michael and John's Primary School, Horsham, will receive $3,600,000.00 from the recent state government funding round for Catholic schools. The school will construct a general learning area, breakout spaces, and specialist rooms and refurbish student amenities.
School Principal Louise Chesterfield said the staff, students, and parents were excited and relieved to learn about the funding.
"With the three additional learning areas the funding will provide, we will be able to accept more students, and that is a great thing for the school and the town.
"We were all excited about the new build and also relieved.
"A growing number of families have been looking to enroll their children with us, and with that influx of numbers, our available space was limited," she said.
The school is currently open-plan, and although it will expand with the new build, it will retain the open-plan model.
"We hope Horsham Rural City Council will expedite our planning approval so we can invite tenders before the end of this year, build during 2025, and be ready to move into by 2026, and of course, we'd all like it to be immediate," she laughed.
"People who come to us seem to like the size of our school community, and we have no intention of growing too big, but to improve our facilities is a win for our families."
"When the new building isn complet, the portable art room will be removed, and we'll have a permanent art space," Ms. Chesterfield said.
Member for Western Victoria Jacinta Ermacora said, "These fantastic schools will see their projects come to fruition, which means their teachers will have the best facilities to give their students the best education."
Catholic Education Ballarat Executive Director Tom Sexton said the demand for Catholic education continued to grow in most communities across the diocese, and families from diverse cultural and faith backgrounds were increasingly welcomed.
"We are excited to work in partnership with the State Government to provide first-class education facilities for students, staff, and families across Western Victoria," Mr Sexton said.
Minister for Education Ben Carroll said non-government schools were an essential part of Victoria's education system, with more than one-third of Victorian students studying at Catholic or independent schools.
Ms Chestefield said the Horsham community was fortunate to have so many great schools. Each offers something a little different, which gives people a choice.
"We all want Horsham to be a vibrant, attractive place that attracts families to the region."
Hopetoun, St Joseph's School's funding of $886,000 will refurbish general learning areas, extend the multipurpose room, and improve staff and student amenities.
St Patrick's School in Stawell will receive $2,400,000 in capital funding, enabling the construction of a general learning area and the refurbishment of student amenities.
The projects are being delivered through the Catholic stream of the Labor Government's Building Fund for Non-Government Schools, which helps schools upgrade and expand their facilities, ensuring families have the best learning environments for their children.