A $13.7-million election pledge for Broadford Primary School would allow school leaders to reimagine the possibilities of the site, according to Labor candidate for Euroa Angela Tough.
Ms Tough and Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes announced the funding in the lead-up to the state election and said it would allow the school to build state-of-the-art facilities for current and future students.
Ms Tough, a Euroa Secondary College teacher, called the pledge ‘life changing’.
“I know just how far it will go. I’ve been at Euroa Secondary College for 13 years as a teacher and we got about $4 million that rebuilt nearly a third of the school. That’s a small amount compared to what Broadford will get,” she said.
“The site size they have is restrictive, they don’t have spare paddocks there to build upon, they have a growing population and they need significant investment to bring that school up to the standard of the teaching inside the classroom.”
Ms Tough said the pledge had been costed to allow for detailed design and planning, allowing school leaders to explore a range of possible upgrades.
“Some of the investment will be in getting the planning right. There have been various ideas posed by the school community. We met with parents at the announcement and they had a lot of ideas,” she said.
“Without good masterplanning, they’re not going to get the most bang for their buck. They’ve got limited space, so they have to make the most of the site.
“Investment in the early planning is unseen, but priceless in the long run when you get a good outcome.”
Ms Tough said school leaders would consult with parents and students as part of the upgrade.
