BY JESSICA ROUSE
The NSW Department of Education’s latest
annual report revealed a $281 million underspend in Hunter schools.
In 2014-15, the Baird Government were
committed to investing $14.2 billion on education. Instead, the Department’s own
report found there the underspend of $281 million.
Schools in the Hunter are currently
facing maintenance backlogs totalling $70 million, with Maitland High School at $1.6 million and two high schools in Raymond Terrace
sitting at $1.5 million in maintenance backlog.
The maintenance backlog consists of
basic issues such as toilet and sewer repairs, painting, replacing windows, fixing damaged rooves and
other general repairs.
The report also revealed in 2015 the
government decreased spending on maintenance in Hunter schools by $26.6 million
dollars increasing the maintenance backlog.
Shadow Minister for the Hunter Kate
Washington says that these small problems will only continue to rise, with the
State Government failing to take responsibility.
"It continues to rise because
government doesn't spend anything on fixing the small problems, so the small
problems get bigger and bigger until it becomes this massive backlog and the
government just puts its head in the sand".
"We've got the Federal government threatening to push
more responsibility back onto the state government, the state government isn't
taking the responsibility it needs to take already for our public schools. It's
leaving a dire situation in our public schools".
There is also an increasing demand for a
public high school at Medowie, as the community continues to grow making the
underspend even more concerning.
