By CASEY NEILL
KEYSBOROUGH Secondary College is ready and waiting for new students.
School council president Erica Moulang invited parents and children to check out the college’s two campuses after the Star last week revealed residents’ calls for new primary and secondary schools to meet the suburb’s growing population.
Councillor Matthew Kirwan told the 23 July City of Greater Dandenong council meeting that the issue could force families to leave the area.
But Ms Moulang said Keysborough SC had no waiting list and anyone who could get to the school could enrol.
“We also run a bus service for picking up students,” she said.
“I can’t understand why there’s calls for a further secondary school in the area when there’s one called Keysborough Secondary College.”
The school was formed in 2008 when Springvale, Coomoora, Heatherhill and Chandler secondary colleges amalgamated into two Keysborough Secondary College campuses – Acacia in Isaac Road and Banksia in Janine Road.
Ms Moulang was the Springvale school council president before and during the merger.
“There was an extremely long consultation process among a number of schools in the Keysborough and Springvale area about how best to deliver quality education across our sub-region,” she said.
“The parents were heavily involved.
“They didn’t cease to be schools, they became an amalgamated school.
“We’re all very proud of what we’ve achieved in a short time.”
An Education Department spokesman said the department was aware of the increased population projections in the Keysborough area and had identified the need to plan for a site in this area.
“In the short-to-medium term, the increase in population can be accommodated at the existing schools,” he said.
“Funding for capital works projects is determined during the State Budget process.”
