The Gisborne Primary School community is celebrating a $10 million windfall in next month’s state budget.
The school is one of four Macedon Ranges’ schools that last week found out it would get a boost from the 2018-19 Victorian budget.
Gisborne Primary School principal Julie Soutter said the school community was “absolutely ecstatic” that it was going to be able to accommodate more local families.
The $10 million will go towards demolishing the school’s current gym, replacing it with a new competition-grade gym and building more classrooms.
Ms Soutter said she was surprised by how much funding the school was receiving after it received just $1.6 million in the previous state budget.
She said the extra classrooms would greatly benefit the 489-pupil school, which was “running out of space”. The school is expected to reach capacity next year or by 2020.
“We’re almost having to turn people away,” Ms Soutter said.
In Romsey, $3.2 million will be put into upgrading facilities and investigating adding years 7, 8 and 9 to Romsey Primary School.
Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Specialist School will receive $4.2 million to refurbish and extend the administration building at Bullengarook Senior Campus and to construct a new multi-purpose room and art shed.
Riddells Creek Primary School will get $2.2 million for upgrades.
Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas said the funding announcements on Friday marked “an incredibly exciting day for local students, families and teachers”.
“We’re upgrading and rebuilding schools right across the Macedon Ranges to make sure our hard-working students and teachers have access to the best classrooms and best facilities,” she said.
The schools will work with the Victorian School Building Authority to determine the details of their upgrades.
