In February this year, the school was identified as one of the worst in the state for infrastructure condition according to data released under Freedom of Information.
Earlier this year, Ovens Valley MP, Tim McCurdy raised serious concerns about the state of facilities at Yarrawonga College and Mount Beauty Secondary College after the Condition Assessment Scores were released.
Despite those concerns being made public in January, neither school was included in this month’s announcement.
“You would think they would be at the front of the queue when maintenance funding is announced, instead they’ve been completely ignored,” Mr McCurdy said.
“Yarrawonga is one of the fastest growing communities in regional Victoria, with enrolments continuing to rise and new housing developments driving further demand, yet the school is still operating across two campuses with outdated facilities.”
In February, school council president, Kate Forge said the facilities needed improvement and that the school community had consistently advocated through the appropriate channels for upgrades, with limited progress.
Two years ago, outgoing school council president Carolyn O’Dwyer described the school buildings, which were built in the 1950s, as “dilapidated”.
“Our school is falling down around the kids’ ears; some kids are in buildings their great grandparents were in,” Ms O’Dwyer said.
The shovel-ready works to provide a state-of-the-art learning facility and complete relocation of the campus onto one site, have been on hold since 2017.
Mr McCurdy said the long-running redevelopment must be properly funded in the upcoming May budget, with more than $20 million required to complete the project after more than 15 years.
“Finishing Stage 3 will bring the school together, support growing student numbers and ensure local kids have access to the modern learning environments they need to succeed,” he said.
Condition Assessment Scores for Victorian Government schools measure schools in a scale from one to five, considering maintenance backlogs, building defects and damage to school infrastructure.
Yarrawonga College P-12 received a score of 3.22, which is considered ‘poor’.
The scores are used to identify defects and prioritise funding for capital works and maintenance from the Planned Maintenance Program.
The Victorian Department of Education has been contacted for comment.
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