Presented by Robert Clark MP		www.robertclark.net

"Mindless vandalism" cuts down Box Hill Senior Secondary College

News Release - 9 November 1999

The Member for Box Hill, Mr Robert Clark, has described as "mindless vandalism" the decision of the minority Labor Government to axe self-governing schools, including Box Hill Senior Secondary College.

The Government has announced that the self-governing school program will cease from the start of next year.

This means that schools will lose freedom to enter into partnerships with businesses, TAFEs or other institutions and be specialist schools in a chosen discipline.

They will also lose flexibility in staffing and administrative arrangements.

This will make it harder for schools to attract and retain the staff they need to provide a high quality specialist curriculum.

As well, schools will lose the funding of $125 per student per annum which they received in exchange for not drawing on the centralised student services provided by the Department.

Box Hill Senior Secondary College will also lose two grants of $50,000 which it was to receive to assist with its specialist sports program

The school is a recognised specialist in sports education, and has developed close links with Australian Rules, cricket and basketball organisations.

The school has also had a highly successful vocationally oriented curriculum, and was planning to use its flexibility as a Self-Governing School to further enhance that curriculum and extend its close collaboration with Box Hill Institute of TAFE.

Box Hill Senior Secondary, formerly Box Hill Technical School, became a Year 11 and 12 senior college in 1993.

Its enrolment has grown from around 400 in 1993 to over 670 in 1999, drawing students from across the Melbourne metropolitan area and beyond to take part in its highly regarded graphic design, electronics, sports, textiles, hospitality, construction and other courses.

Mr Clark said it was a tragedy that the hard work of the School Council, Principal and staff of Box Hill Senior Secondary had been destroyed by the senseless and ideologically motivated actions of the new Government.

"You cannot make some schools better by cutting down others. 'One size fits all' is not the way to go. Destroying diversity and victimising those who dare to be different is a setback not just for self-governing schools but for Victoria's entire education system."

"The School Council of Box Hill Senior Secondary made a carefully considered decision to enter the self-governing Schools program because the School Council passionately believed that was the right move to give the school the freedom it needed to best implement its specialist and vocationally oriented curriculum.

"The Government's actions are a slap in the face for the school community, and will make it that much harder for the school to continue to provide the high quality alternative curriculum for which the school has become renowned and which has been meeting the needs of so many students across the metropolitan area."