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Volume 9, Wednesday, June 6, 2012
RDAS
5 pages
Page 2
Pages 12-16
celebrates reconciliation!
of mining!
edition Andamooka’s Christian students miss out Page 4
S
By Millie Thomas
aint Barbara’s Parish School students under Year 4 living in Andamooka are being denied access to the school bus, a decision that changed at the beginning of term two.
Affected parents were contacted by the Saint Barbara’s Parish Principal in a letter dated April 2 this year. According to Local Member for Giles, Lyn Breuer, the Education Department bus prioritises seating for students at Government schools from secondary school first, followed by primary school and preschool. After this chain of command, non-government students may be permitted to ride the bus if there are any seats left. Kerry Musolino, Andamooka resident and mother of six said she has been given a couple of excuses as to why her two youngest children are no longer allowed on the bus. “One being that the RDAS (Roxby Downs Area School) numbers are getting high but so far its only affecting under year four students,” explained Mrs Musolino. “Quite visibly, noted from several sources, the school bus is not full, there is always empty seats.” Currently Mrs Musolino transports her children into town at least three times a week for sporting commitments, and now an extra five days a week for school. She has been sending her children on the school bus to St Barbara’s since 2007, with her three youngest still attending in grades Reception, Year 2 and Year 6. She is worried what affect it will have on her children, should she have to separate them during schooling. “It’s not going to affect him (Cohen, Reception) too much, but it’s going to affect Ashton (Year 2), because there’s a big social and education difference (between Saint Barbara’s and Andamooka Primary School), not to mention the Christian side of it,” she said. Mrs Musolino further pointed out future families who choose to move to Andamooka will no longer be offered a viable means of catholic education. “Andamooka has new residents moving to town almost on a weekly basis, they should have that choice.” She said students have already started dropping out of Saint Barbara’s because of the changed situation. Mrs Musolino explained she felt Christian schools promote stronger moral values in class, and better accommodate for the varying age groups and said Andamooka students were a proportionate amount of the founding students at the school. Before approaching The Monitor, she contacted Lyn Breuer, Regional Director for the Department of Education and Child Development for Far North and Aboriginal Lands Paul Newman, Minister for Education and Child Development Grace Portolesi, Paul Scharkie and a Bishop in Port Pirie to rally support. “I’d like to see the Catholic Education Department step up and support their students. I’d also like the Government to step up to allow us to have the choice to send our children to whichever school we like,” Mrs Musolino stated. In the interim, the Andamooka Progress Opal Miners Associ-
Brothers Coby Seery, Cohen and Ashton Musolino rode the bus to school from Andamooka together until recently. ation has offered the use of the community bus for the duration of term two, provided there are volunteers willing to drive it each day. It also incurs a hiring fee. Local member Lyn Breuer acknowledged she had been contacted by parents living in Andamooka who send their children to Saint Barbara’s. “For some time they (private school children living in Andamooka) have been able to access the Education Dept School bus, but the situation has now changed,” explained Ms Breuer.
“
I’d like to see the Catholic Education Department step up and support their students
”
“The DECD (Department of Education and Child Development) applies a formula to facilities and transport per school to determine numbers of buses and availability for students,” she continued. According to a statement released by Ms Breuer, RDAS was re-assessed last year and requires a further 170 students before an additional bus will be commissioned. “Until that number is attained then there will only be limited positions on the regular bus service,” she said.
Ms Breuer further cited the DECD Bus Transport Policy, which states, ‘Primary and secondary students attending non-government schools and who reside five kilometres or more by the shortest most practicable route from the nearest appropriate Government school, have a right to use existing bus services to travel to that Government school.’ In consultation with Saintt Barbara’s, Ms Breuer stated the option of the school providing their own bus has been discussed, but was deemed unviable due to maintenance and running costs associated. “In summary, the number of seats on the bus have now reached a critical point for students travelling to the Roxby Area School and there are no spare seats,” stated Ms Breuer. “Parents of students at Saintt Barbara’s will unfortunately have to find their own transport through carpooling etcetera if they wish to continue to send their children to the private school. While the department has assisted where possible in the past, increasing numbers now prevent this from happening, as is the case in other regional communities in South Australia.” A departmental spokesperson from Minister Grace Portolesi’s Education Department stated the situation had occurred after a review at local level of the available seats and number of ineligible students asking to be transported to Roxby Downs. Due to a lack of resolution at the time of print, Mrs Musolino, in her own time is following up options for long term bus hire and charter bus services for the Andamooka students of Saint Barbara’s, to ensure the, “future stability, and availability of choices and opportunities for Andamooka families.”