NEWS v District BALAKLAVA SCHOOL COUNCILS SPEAK OUT AS BUDGET CUTS HALT UPGRADES:
Amalgamation frustration Balaklava primary and high school governing councillors are “extremely disappointed” with State Budget cuts, affecting their hopes for new and updated classroom facilities, incorporating the community library. Balaklava High governing council chairwoman, Louise Michael, and Balaklava Primary governing council chairwoman, Nicole Gregory, brought the issue to public notice last weekend. The schools had previously submitted plans under the Government’s Education Works initiative to amalgamate. If plans were successful, they expected to receive up to $20 million to merge the campuses. However, the Education Department has informed both school governing councils those plans have been abandoned and they will be among 67 co-located schools forced to merge and share in just $27 million between them. However, this funding can only be used to build or upgrade school administration facilities, rather than classrooms or facilities for the students.
HAPPIER times – Louise Michael and Federal Wakefield MP, Nick Champion, at the opening the BHS Trade Training Centre in April. When contacted by the Plains Producer on Monday, Mrs Michael said the governing councils’ main interest had always been, first and foremost for the students, to assist with their learning. “We’ve spent more than three years and countless meetings with
department representatives and architects, planning this particular amalgamation,” Mrs Michael said. “There have been other proposals over more than 15 years, just under a different banner. The proposals have always created interest and goodwill from both the school and
local communities, similar to public health issues in rural areas. “The side issue concerning the workload required to deal with the planning of new school facilities, is that it takes valuable resources away from the job of educating our children, and also creates a bigger workload for the volunteers on school committees.” The State Budget revealed in September, co-located pre-schools, primary schools and high schools would merge to form 33 schools that would operate under one administration as part of $8.2 million savings over two years. Mrs Michael said she hoped to have more discussions with DECS to see whether any concepts which were previously made could be put in place to result in a positive outcome for the schools. A disappointed and frustrated Mrs Michael claimed it was just a “cost cutting measure.” Balaklava Primary school principal, Dale Gathercole said: “The timeline outlined by DECS at our October amalgamation meeting is proceeding, with Asset Services
scheduling a visit within the next two weeks.”
Council concern Wakefield Regional Council CEO, Phil Barry, said council would be concerned at any implications from State government changes to the suggested merger plans “The education facilities are a strength of the local community,”Mr Barry said. “The schools are a key area of council’s Balaklava Master Plan and we would be most concerned at any detrimental impact as a result of State Budget cuts to the Reception to Year 12 proposal. “Council will be strongly supporting the school governing councils.” Coincidentally, Mr Barry raised his concerns on such a cut in State Budget to regional areas at the Central Local Government Region (CLGR) meeting of councils at Melrose last Friday. Mr Barry attended the meeting with mayor James Maitland, who chairs CLGR. (See page 7).
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Balaklava Primary School principal, Dale Gathercole has made a series of proactive recommendations after describing the school’s NAPLAN results in the BPS newsletter as “not what the school would like to see.” In a raft of suggested changes, Ms Gathercole wrote the school would reduce the number of extra curricular activities as a trial in 2011 “to maximise learning and teaching time.” In the newsletter distributed to parents, Mrs Gathercole said: “Our NAPLAN results again are not what we would like to see.” She urged students to “apply themselves to the best of their ability 100 per cent” and reminded parents to remain diligent and supportive of their children. The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests started earlier this year.
Students in years three, five, seven and nine were assessed on the same days using national tests in reading, writing, language conventions including spelling, grammar and punctuation and numeracy. In the newsletter, Mrs Gathercole said: “Staff have analysed the NAPLAN results, and coupled with information from last year’s NAPLAN test and school-based data, I would like to make a few strong recommendations for us as a learning community,” she wrote. Other recommendations included: students’ vocabulary in literacy and numeracy need to be expanded; students need to read and write confidently in a range of situations both during and out of school; check children understand what they are reading; enable children to be good problem solvers and risk takers, and promote the school as a special place of learning.
“We need to develop resiliency,” Mrs Gathercole wrote. Staff at the school recently agreed on a yearly plan to ensure all the main types of writing text are taught and revisited throughout the primary years. In the newsletter, the school’s literacy mentor, Sue Jones, stated writing was identified as an area teachers needed to teach “in more depth”. “At staff meetings we have been discussing persuasive writing to teach children a set structure to write an argument,” she wrote. In a number of action plans, parents were asked to be supportive of their children by engaging them in conversations; introducing them to new words in meaningful ways and reading to them. Students were encouraged to support the school’s code of conduct and to talk about their behaviour learning.
Two new Two Wells councillors Two Wells will be represented by two new councillors with Mark Wasley gaining 102 votes and Jan Heley 111 to be voted into two of the roles, with long standing councillor Joe Daniele retaining the third seat with 187 votes. Tony Flaherty was unsuccessful in being reelected after two terms while Steve Kennedy retired from the role after serving two terms. Mallala ward has experienced no change, with Yvonne Howard receiving 86 votes and Marcus Strudwicke receiving 249 to retain the two seats. The results were not official when the Plains Producer went to press and candidates were reluctant to comment. These are provisional results, and are subject to the Electoral Commission declaring them official.
A poll was included in this year’s voting papers to determine whether council’s mayor should be elected by the community or by the councillors. The poll determined the public would prefer the mayor be elected by the community, and this will come into effect during the next local elections in four years. Marcus Strudwicke, who held the position of mayor for the past year, said there were positives and negatives of both systems. He said while the new system would provide stability with four year terms, it would also exclude unsuccessful mayoral candidates from becoming a councillor. “I think it will provide greater stability, as council has had some instability in the last few years with a different
mayor elected each year,” he said. “Some long standing councillors who decide to run for mayor might be excluded from council altogether if not successfully elected mayor,” Mr Strudwicke said. “But if the community feels they should make that decision, it’s the right
way to go,” he said. Mr Strudwicke said he planned to run for mayor again this term, which will be the last time councillors will elect a mayor or, in the past, a chairman.
• More council
election reports are on Page 23
Passing of a legend SOUTH Australian football legend James (Jim) Deane died peacefully in Balaklava on Sunday. The South Adelaide champion, a dual Magarey Medallist and SANFL Hall of Fame member, recently had been residing at Mill Court. His daughter, Sally Angel, runs the nearby Terminus hotel with husband Allen. Deane is grandfather to Sally and Allen’s children, Luke, Steph and Matt. His funeral will be held at Centennial Park, Adelaide, at 11.30am on Thursday. Born in 1928, Deane won Magarey medals in in 1953 and 1957 and was runner-up for three successive years from 1949. He played 157 games for South Adelaide and 33 games for Richmond in the VFL. Plains Producer, Wednesday November 17, 2010