Visit to Brisbane by the Save Our Slade delegation

The delegation met with the Director-General of Education, Ms Julie Grantham, and the Assistant Director General – Infrastructure Services, Mr Graham Atkins, at the Parliamentary Annexe last Thursday.
Local Member, The Hon Lawrence Springborg, Mayor Ron Bellingham, Ron Farrell and I received a good hearing from the officers concerned.
Discussion centred on Warwick High School’s need for more space and the possible use of the Slade School campus.
However, early in the discussion we were told that the decision regarding the high school’s future direction was made before the end of 2010, by the ‘school community’, who expressed the desire to remain at the current site – they’re hardly likely to say anything else are they, when talking to their employer, if they care about their future prospects? The decision was made long before the date given to our delegation.
What happened to the petition from the community, signed by more than 2500 citizens of this locality, sent at the same time that this decision was made, to the Queensland Parliament, requesting that Slade be considered as part of the solution? We know the petition was presented, but it was obviously disregarded, and the inclusion of the Slade School site was never discussed as part of the equation, or solution for the high school.
The result – more students, many more students, will be accommodated at the current site. The ‘system’ is playing ‘stacks on the mill, more on still’ with our students. We do not have the population density, or lack of building space that Brisbane and its environs has – yet the same plan is being applied to our rural area, in the ‘one size fits all’ mentality.
The Year 7 entry to high school was simply regarded as fact, and not discussed further, while awaiting the Government decision of when the implementation will occur. The well-being of students was never mentioned during discussion – it was simply about managing multi-level buildings and many, many more students, at the current site!
What about the overpass? The Government will spend more than double the purchase price of Slade to build an overpass that must be a monster in size, to allow the passage of B-doubles below.
Following the floods, our Regional Council is trying to limit the amount of building on the flood plain, and yet development of Hamilton Oval is being considered!
I have no argument with the persons related to the above decisions – they are simply carrying out the directions of the Minister.
My argument is with the ‘system’ – a system safe guarding itself at all costs – silencing those who speak up for the well-being of our students – and yet caring for student needs is the very reason for their employment.
What Education Queensland has proposed for the high school is comical/ludicrous to say the least – were it not so serious!
Present and future students will be seriously affected by this short-sighted decision regarding the high school.
However, a very positive result of the delegation’s visit to Brisbane was that the future plans for the development of our local high school have been laid on the table. These plans provide important information to parents, enabling them to make choices, regarding their child’s secondary education – after all, students will soon spend six years in secondary schooling, half of their entire school life.
The site at Slade would provide a long-term solution for the high school for the foreseeable future.
There would be ample space to relocate the entire school, if planned over a 10- to 15-year time span, beginning with the arrival of Year 7, in a park-like environment, at far less cost than that planned at the current site. There is plenty of teaching space/playing/sports area available in a safe suburban location. Buildings are sound, but would need refurbishing, and specialist testing shows there is minimal asbestos at the site, being no problem at all.
This would be a far better investment than spending more money, as proposed, at the current site, noting that it is our money that Governments spend!
Since there is now a change of Education Minister, this matter must be put before him, in the hope he has more foresight than his predecessor – time will tell.
Margaret McKinnon,
Warwick