Due to declining student numbers, the NSW Government has advised the school’s future would be reviewed.
If it cannot guarantee a suitable increase in enrolments, it may be put into recess for two years starting in 2027.
In Deniliquin as part of his ‘Winter Farrer Familiarisation Tour’, Mr Farley met with families, staff and students who rely on the small rural school when school resumed for Term 3 on Tuesday.
Mr Farley said the turnout demonstrated strong community support and a clear pipeline of future enrolments.
“The response we got out there, with the number of people who showed up - not only the number of students, but the number of preschool kids - I do think the government’s got its numbers wrong,” he said.
“As we say in agriculture, there’s a really good young crop coming up underneath.
“We’ll need education for them.”
Mr Farley said while the school’s future is a state matter, he will do what he can to support the community and NSW Member for Murray Helen Dalton to ‘save’ the school.
“It’s been a good engagement with Helen Dalton’s office to say, right, we’ve got to both work on this.
“Some of the responses we’re getting back out of government already are positive to at least reviewing it to keep it open.”
Mr Farley said Conargo’s decline was not a result of performance.
He said while it was partly individual choice, he highlighted that water policy had played a role.
“They’re actually getting a good result out of the school for education, and there was a suggestion that we could have more students here if we were prepared to harvest from the north side of Deniliquin.
“There’s been a big shift of students between Conargo and Deniliquin going back into Deniliquin.
“If it was balanced out properly, the supply problem of children would go away.
“What also puts children in schools is families, and when there’s no employment for those families or the breadwinners of those families (the school suffers).”
Mr Farley said the number of children using the early education services provided at Conargo shows the school’s low student rate could only be a temporary problem.
“I wouldn’t mind betting they actually outnumbered the students substantially, and those children will be ready for school in two and three years’ time.
“The real message from the parents is: we like it, it performs, it’s a good result. It fits the community because it fits our lifestyle out here. It’s less pressure on the kids because they’re not in a school bus for an hour one way and an hour back again.”
River Region Early Education general manager Felicity Michael confirmed there are 12 children utilising the Mobile Daycare service in Conargo, which shares the campus with the primary school.
“We have been informed that we can continue using the school facilities if it did close down, however having that community out there is incredibly important,” Mrs Michael said.
Conargo Public School P&C president Karen Griffiths said the community welcomed Mr Farley’s support.
“Quite a few community members attended. I think we had about 20 people in attendance, as well as a few kids who expressed they want to attend Conargo.
“He could be a good voice for rural communities in expressing what we need.”
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