Budawang School for Specific Purposes

Please see attached letter

Ulladulla Area Schools Expansion Action Group currently representing 738 individual members - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ulladullaareaschoolsexpansionactiongroup

We object to the project and have done so at public meetings that were attended by Budawang School representatives and online since last year when the Ulladulla Area Schools Expansion Action Group was started to be a voice for parents, students, teachers, family members and general public all with the drive to better the education facilities that service our area. My objection and that of our members is that the project can't continue without the site being assessed as a Stage 1 - Budawang School and Stage 2 - Ulladulla High School Milton Campus. This is because the majority of the students and the foot and vehicular traffic will be associated with the High School which is at the rear of the property. At day 1 of the High School Milton Campus it is currently proposed that it will have approximately 450 students and teachers of years 7 & 8. Ulladulla suffered last year by the death of a student hit by a school bus on her way home trying to cross from the school. Both major roads around the existing high school have been deemed dangerous and are awaiting which is near 12 months for crossings that are safe for students to use. Because of this there is no way the community will accept anything less than for the SAS site to be assessed properly for the usage of both proposed schools.

Both the Ulladulla Area Schools Action Group and the Ulladulla High School P and C have the same concerns for the Budawang project as it is exhibited, in particular that the whole site be assessed properly as one project with a Stage 1 - Budawang and Stage 2- UHS Milton Campus.

Just so there isn't finger pointing or animosity, we are asking for the same thing the Department of Transport has asked in its submission for the project. That is to do it right from the start. This entails looking at the whole project and assessing it as one. This is because of the amount of students that will be at the UHS Campus Milton that a proper pedestrian and transport assessment is made now so both schools can move ahead with no issues arising later. This isn't because it is this project, this is how projects of this scale are handled, I am talking from years of personal large project management experience, which I clearly expressed to Budawang representatives late last year. I was told this didn't need to occur and they refused any further discussions on this topic.

The amount of foot traffic, cars and buses that will be associated with the High School campus have not been considered yet. Keep in mind, the High School campus will occur here as was first planned for this site.

Please take note of the following:
The Ulladulla High School portion of the block has not been confirmed by the DoE nor has it been taken into consideration in the designing of the Budawang School. The Budawang School knew that the High School was intended for the property, as it was purchased initially for the sole purpose of becoming the Ulladulla High School Milton Campus and Budawang was only added afterwards. Then by misinformed population numbers, predictions and bad decisions, from the Department of Education whom decided to remove Ulladulla High School from the site. Not informing the 10000 registered voters that signed the petition to get the site purchased for the High Schools needs.

The following is an exert from an email sent to myself in response to my questions relating to the enrollment caps at our three public schools:
1. A high school class per one teacher?
Based on the Department of Education’s staffing agreement with the Teacher’s Federation no (high school) class need exceed 30 students.
2. Ulladulla High School?
The enrolment cap for Ulladulla High School is 1,220 students.
[NOTE: Enrollments for 2017(1208), 2018(1198), 2019(1228)
3. Milton Public School?
The enrolment cap for Milton Public School is 555 students.
[NOTE: Enrollments for 2017(681), 2018(698), 2019(679)
4. Ulladulla Primary School?
The enrolment cap for Ulladulla Public School is 509 students.
[NOTE: Enrollments for 2017(735), 2018(744), 2019(739)
[NOTE: all three schools have numerous demountable classrooms with many over ten years old]
[NOTE: Because of the huge overcrowding issues in both Ulladulla and Milton Primary Schools, the Ulladulla Area Schools Expansion Action Group is recommending to the P and C groups at Ulladulla High School, Ulladulla Primary and Milton Primary Schools, that we believe it is necessary for the consideration of of the overcrowding of all schools that the Milton Campus be developed as a middle school. Opening its doors to years 5 to 8 which will take the pressure of all the schools. This is what is the most important thing that we need to achieve.]

The Department of Transport are yet to assess the proposal, yet have asked why hasn't the stage 2 of the project(UHS) been put forward as this is how large projects like this are done. If they don't assess the whole project as one, it could bring limitations to stage two that can't be reversed. They raise this issue as they haven't been made aware that when UHS moves to the site what is going there. They won't make assumptions. We are not talking about a small school with 40 students. It will start with approximately 450 students and teachers and increase over the coming decades as our area continues to expand.

The proposed driveway has not been designed past the proposed onsite roundabout that allows access to the Budawang School for up to 80 students and teachers. You have to consider that the UHS site is going to be used as proposed currently for approximately 450 year seven and eight students and teachers at first. As well as the need for parents to drop-off and pick-up students that don't catch a bus, which is more likely with students of that age. The current High School has onsite teacher parking and a huge amount of on street parking that gets filled most afternoons for school pickup.

To catch buses the students have to walk to Croobyar Road with no undercover walkway or bus stop. Because of the age of the students for their safety, the buses should be picking them up onsite. (A Budawang representative told me they have allowed for any buses or other community transport needed for their kids to pick them up on their property. This is because it is unsafe for them to pick them up on Croobyar Rd where the bust stop is currently allocated). Whether a covered bus stop can be put there will not be known until the Department of Transport assess the project, or the possibility of having onsite bus stops. If you look at the Croobyar Rd there is very little room to allow for extra buses because of the vicinity to the Princes Highway lights intersection and the Heritage Pie Shop. The rest of the area is residential housing so there will be little room for parents to have a safe drop off and pick up area. This really needs to be on the UHS Milton Campus site.

There is also the need for the assessment to also consider that currently, the Ulladulla High School starts at 9.10am and finishes at 3pm with drop off and pick up either side of that. I know from picking up my daughter especially when it is raining parents including myself will drop off our kids from 8.45am and be there waiting to pick them up from 2.30pm just to get a parking spot. This may result in the adjustment of start and stop times for each school.

We could of had this sorted by now, when last year I asked for a stop to the project so these discussions could occur. I was told that it was unnecessary for the project to be looked at, as one, with a stage 1 and a stage 2 by Budawang representatives. I don't want and never have wanted to see the Budawang School cancelled but when you are looking at planning a large project as this one, there are some steps that are necessary. We only have one chance to get this project right and if we don't it is the children of our beautiful area will suffer. This is not just putting a carport up, we need it done correctly. We are doing this to get our children out of currently overcrowded schools but also so our schools can grow with the area over the next couple of decades.

The SAS site should, as it was when SAS was open, be incorporating the TAFE Trade Centre which can be used to train students in Commercial cooking and Hospitality in the existing commercial kitchen and other courses utilising todays technology allowing students to do virtual courses in just about anything, which would give so much to the students in our area. As our area is growing so should the educational facilities to enable our children's education just as much as their metropolitan counterparts receive.

Lastly, this could of all be alleviated if the Department of Education had not sat on the 3 acre block of land they own in Garside Rd Mollymook. They should of built a new Budawang school on this block a decade ago which would of left them with land for future exposure, but this land was too small for a primary or high school in the area. But no, they left these poor children in a very unsuitable premises that they rented. The Department of Education should be ashamed and held accountable for their inactions.

We look forward to hearing your outcome after the submissions and are open to any meetings that may be needed to discuss these issues and finding solutions that do right for all the children in both schools.