Premier Daniel Andrews, Parliamentary Secretary for Volunteers and Carers Gabrielle Williams, and Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing today joined students, teachers and parents to view plans for the rebuild of Sale Specialist School.

The $7.6 million funding, secured in the 2015-16 Victorian Budget, will finally give Sale Specialist students the modern facilities they badly need to learn and grow.

Due to continued growth in enrolment numbers, the Sale community has campaigned for the school’s three current campuses to be brought together on the one site.

A site for the new school was purchased last year, and planning and initial construction funding has previously been provided. The school community worked with an architect on its vision for the new school.

This week, schools and students in Gippsland shared in more than $15 million of extra funding in 2016 as part of the Andrews Labor Government’s commitment to make Victoria the Education State. Equity funding increased on average by $437 per student across regional Victoria, in comparison to $209 in metropolitan Melbourne.

This money is to help our schools give students the skills they need for work and life: confidence, resilience, and the capacity for critical and creative thinking. We also want more kids to take part in physical activity at school.

This is also about breaking the link between a child’s social and economic background and how well they do at school. Our aim is to significantly reduce the number of kids who drop out of school and training every year.

The Labor Government is also undertaking a $82.2 million Regional Support Initiative in response to schools telling us they needed extra help to provide the best support possible to Victorian students.

The initiative will be provided through the establishment of 17 new local area-based teams across the current four regions. The teams will help relieve principals and teachers from operational and administrative burdens so they can focus on what matters most for Victoria’s students.

The 2015/16 Victorian Budget was the single biggest injection of education funding in Victorian history, providing almost $4 billion in additional funds. We are building and upgrading schools and helping families with the costs of uniforms, glasses, camps, excursions and more.

Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews

“Kids can’t get a first-rate education in a second-rate classroom.”

“We’re giving students at Sale Specialist the world class facilities they need to reach their full potential.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria, Harriet Shing

“Parents, carers, staff and students at the Sale Specialist School have been doing it tough for too long. Gippsland kids, whatever their needs, deserve the same opportunities as every other Victorian student.”

“The planned rebuild for this school is a huge win for School Council President, Jane Nash, parents, carers and everyone else who has worked so hard to secure this funding.”