[Greens-Media] Tas Greens_Levendale School Uncertainty Continues-5 Weeks Left in School Year_T Morris MP

[greens at parliament.tas.gov.au]

LEVENDALE SCHOOL UNCERTAINTY CONTINUES

Only Five Weeks Left in School Year...

Tim Morris MP
Member for Lyons

Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Contact: State Parliamentary Offices of the Tasmanian Greens, (03) 6233
8300

www.tas.greens.org.au


The Tasmanian Greens today sought an assurance from the Premier and
Education Minister, David Bartlett, to provide certainty to the parents
and students at Levendale who five weeks from the end of the school year
have still not been provided any certainty from the Government on the
future of the Levendale School for 2009.

Greens Member for Lyons, Tim Morris MP who applauded the community's
effort to keep the school open, said that it is unacceptable that the
Premier has left the community without an answer on the future of the
school despite seeking certainty all year, and when asked said that the
Levendale community would have to wait another two weeks before they
could expect to be informed of any decision. 

"There is only five weeks left of this school year, and yet still the
Premier, who is also the responsible Minister, equivocates over the
future of the Levendale school," Mr Morris said.

"It is a catch-22 situation, where the lack of certainty as to whether
the school will remain open means that enrolments have stalled, a
situation that then gets used by the bean-counters to justify shutting
down the school on the grounds of too few numbers."

"It would appear that Mr Bartlett has dodged the ball badly when it
comes to the Levendale school, and he needs to refocus and reprioritise
on letting the community know where they stand."

"The ongoing uncertainty over the school's future has meant that several
families that were planning to move into the area have not done so
because they don't know where they will be able to send their children
for the  2009 school year."

"It is extraordinary that the Education Minister has left parents with
children at the Levendale school in the lurch to this extent."

"They still do not know, and now it appears they will have to wait for
another fortnight, whether they need to make other school arrangements
for next year, so the decent thing to do at this late stage is to
announce that the school will stay open, which will also assist the
community to encourage families to move to the district, and by doing so
further improve the school's ongoing viability," Mr Morris said.




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