By Max Davies
THE Kilmore community is rallying its support behind a petition to open a public secondary school in the town as the area’s population continues to grow.
Organised by resident Jesse Coombe, the petition comes after the land of the former Colmont School was listed for sale by Savills Melbourne, with the Review reporting that multiple Melbourne private schools had expressed interest in purchasing the site.
Other options for public schools near Kilmore include Broadford Secondary College and Wallan Secondary College, however both schools are nearing capacity.
Families who are not in the two school’s zones say they have no choice but to send their children elsewhere – causing further travel and cost of living pressures.
Mr Coombe said he was concerned for his 13-year-old daughter, who attended school in Whittlesea, which often meant she was out of the house for more than nine hours a day – a situation her father described as ‘a bit much just to get an education’.
“I’ve got a big family and there are multiple families in the area, and through engaging in community sports and stuff like that everybody I speak to complains that we don’t have a public high school for our kids to attend,” he said.
“Not everybody’s in the position to send their kids to somewhere like Assumption, which is one of the best schools in the area and in an ideal situation, I would love to be able to send my kids there, but I can’t.”
The petition calling for a public secondary school in Kilmore had received more than 1750 signatures on change.org yesterday.
While using the former Colmont School would provide the quickest solution, Mr Coombe said a new school would be best in the long term.
“In an ideal world I’d love a new school to be built tomorrow but that process takes a long, long time,” he said.
“There’s land for a future build that [council has] identified, but that’s still classified as farming land and for that to be reclassified and built is going to take some time … my youngest child is four and she would potentially be finished her education by the time it’s done.”
The distance to Whittlesea has meant that neither Mr Coombe nor his partner Brooke Cutler can drive their children to school, while the cost of taking transport and not being able to attend high school with friends from primary school also raised concerns.
Ms Cutler said the current situation in Kilmore lacked equity and called for more widely accessible options, especially with the construction of multiple new housing estates in the town.
“The economy doesn’t allow people with multiple children to send their kids to school where they have to pay $8500 a year for each of them, it’s just not plausible,” she said.
“Not only for my kids, but there’s also multiple families in this town that are under the same stresses. I don’t understand why a public high school is not a priority, especially now with the condition of the economy.
“There’s no equity in this town … there’s talk about them opening another private school. Why can they not open a public school so kids can go to school where they live?”
Mr Coombe last week met with Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland, who said education was a fundamental right and placed responsibility on the State Government to provide accessible education for the community.
“Together with the campaigning by [Mr Coombe], we are determined to ensure that every child in Kilmore has access to a quality education close to home,” she said.
“The establishment of a public secondary school in Kilmore is not just a want, but a need for our growing community.
“By advocating for a public secondary school, we are advocating for the future of our children and the development of our town.”
A Department of Education spokesperson said the department regularly monitored enrolments and forecast demand to determine whether additional capacity in an area was required.
“There are currently no plans for a new government secondary school in Kilmore,” the spokesperson said.
To view the petition, visit .
