Great Strategy

This was in the riverland local paper, The Murray Pioneer, on Friday22nd

An open invitation to the Education Minister
THIS IS an invitation to Minister for Education and Children's Services, Jane Lomax-Smith.
On behalf of the Renmark Junior Primary School and Renmark Primary School Governing Council, I am writing to invite you to our next Governing Council meeting to be held at 58 Murtho Street, Renmark, on June 25, at 7pm.
We are inviting you to explain to the council, students, staff and the members of our wider school community that, to comply with the draconian financial impost you are forcing on our school, we will need to significantly reduce the quality of education we can provide to our students.
The Governing Council is fully aware of, and remains supportive of, the need for financial stringency, but it is clearly apparent, despite your statements to the contrary, that our school has been significantly disadvantaged financially since the introduction of Partnerships 21.
Our schools will need to cut our budgets by some $58,860 to comply with your edict and the only method our schools have available to achieve this impost, is to significantly:
- Cut the amount of SSO/student contact time within the primary school.
- Cut a school funded early intervention support program within the junior primary.
- Cut the furniture replacement program (most of which is over 15 years old).
- Cut the ongoing upgrade of computers and peripherals across both schools.
- Cut subsidizing excursions and external performances to all students.
- Cut the supply of resources to education programs.
- Cut access to the Life Education van.
All of the above are of vital importance in providing the support, equipment and programs the council believe are of prime necessity in assisting our students, at an important time of their life, to gain a solid grounding in the education they need to prepare for and become sound members of our community.
A wise person once said that 'a community will be judged by the education it provides its children'. If the above is the case, then we will not be judged well.
Should you not be able to attend our meeting or wish to discuss the matter further please contact me directly on 0428 100 253 or email at mcdonalds.renmark@bigpond.com.au
I wait with anticipation your acceptance to attend our meeting.
MARK A McDONALD
Chairperson of Renmark Junior Primary School and Renmark Primary School Governing Council

Great Strategy. Even Better Invite Jane to your School Assembly to say that sorry we will not be able to support all the programmes that you all like.