[Greens-Media] Small public schools sacrificed to the budget and spin

[John Kaye]

Small public schools sacrificed to the budget and spin

Media release: 31 October 2014

Greens NSW MP John Kaye worked with Christian Democrat MP Paul Green to get the NSW Legislative Council to order Education Minister Adrian Piccoli and his Department to table all documents relating to the threat to close two small Hunter public schools, Wollombi and Martins Creek.

("Greens urge Minister to 'call off dogs' on small Hunter schools" ABC Radio, 31 October, http://j.mp/abc141031)

("Emails show cost savings driving government's Wollombi and Martins Creek public school closure plans", Newcastle Herald, 31 October, page 1, http://j.mp/nh141031)

Two boxes of documents were returned on Thursday and show that:
1)            Not all documents have been returned. The Department states that it will return more documents on 11 November. We are concerned that this might be too late to save these schools from closure.
2)            A briefing to the Minister dated 11 August talks about savings  in maintenance and staffing costs that would be made if the schools were closed
3)            The local Director, Public Schools, Andrew Eastcott, made it quite clear as far back as 6 February 2014 that Martins Creek was to be closed "unless a great storm strikes". The presence of a fair process has been exposed.
4)            An email trail from the Department to the Minister talks about the costs of educating children in Martins Creek compared to other neighbouring schools, demonstrating that this was always about money, not educational outcomes.
5)            An email from Frank Potter, the local Executive Director, Public Schools on 11 February, identifies a hit list maintained by the Departments.

Media comments

Greens NSW MP John Kaye said: "Any pretence of a process without a predetermined outcome has now been thoroughly exposed.

"The documents show that the NSW government has clearly intended to close Martins Creek Public School since at least February of this year. Parents were put though a sham consultation process that, in the minds of Department bureaucrats, was bound to lead nowhere.

"The reality is that the driving motivation is and always has been money. Figures developed by the Department showing the relative costs at Martins Creek and the neighbouring public schools were sent to Education Minister Adrian Piccoli and his office.

"This was no idol curiosity but a telling sign of the real mentality that is running the agenda.

"The Minister cannot wash his hands of the department's assault on these two schools. He has been informed of the cost motivations and he should have been aware of the deceit run by Department officials.

"The only explanation for department officials behaving so appallingly towards parents at small schools is that they had instructions from higher up to close them and save money, regardless of the outcomes for the children, their parents and the community.

"What is missing from the documents is any sign of genuine concern for the outcomes for students and the wishes of parents. Instead, the Department was focused media spin and distracting parents with a sham process.

"The Department has not yet provided many of the documents that we know exist, saying that we will not see them until 11 November. That could be too late to save the schools.

"The Minister should put a halt to the destruction of these important public schools, at least until the community has had a chance to see the entire paper trail.

"Minister Piccoli and the Baird-Grant government have pointed their Education Department away from the needs of the children and into a world of deceit," Dr Kaye.

For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455


-------------------------------------------------------------------
John Kaye
Greens NSW MP

P: (02) 9230 2668 | F: facebook.com/john.kaye.mlc<http://www.facebook.com/john.kaye.mlc> | T: @johnkgreens<twitter.com/johnkgreens> | W: www.johnkaye.org.au<http://www.johnkaye.org.au>
Mail: Parliament House, Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

This office pays respect to the Gadigal and the other Aboriginal peoples of NSW and acknowledges their ownership of this land.

John Kaye's office is proudly 100% unionised and union-active.

This email is solely for the named addressee and may be confidential. You should only read, disclose, transmit, copy, distribute, act in reliance on or commercialise the contents if you are authorised to do so. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, please notify the sender by email immediately and then destroy any copy of this message. Except where otherwise specifically stated, views expressed in this e-mail are those of the individual sender.
[Description: MC900437266[1]]  Please consider the environment before printing this email.