By Alesha Capone
AROUND 150 parents, staff and children from a Caroline Springs college marched on Parliament House last Friday, in a campaign to save their private school from possible closure.
Last week, Star reported the ICA Melton College, which has 229 students and 37 staff members, could close down after going into voluntary administration.
Parents at the college recently found out Independent Colleges Australia, which also runs a Narre Warren South school, has become financially troubled despite enrolments rising.
The State Government has provided emergency funding of $1.5 million to keep the school open until 3 December this year, but ICA administrator James Downey has been unable to guarantee the school’s future into 2011.
He said the school site would be sold through Ernst and Young and tenders closed yesterday, after Star went to print.
Parent Mandi Loyal said the protest was to ask the government, banks and other organisations involved with the school why “over the past three weeks, all our lives have been turned upside down”.
She said families were angry about a lack of information about the school’s future and wanted to know why the community was not consulted about the issue.
“I think where we are in the western suburbs, we don’t have much choice, so parents are really behind the school,” she said.
Parent Sam Costanzo said an action group, made up of around 40 family members from the two ICA schools, hoped to make a successful bid for both campuses.
Melton Shire Council has sent letters about the school’s plight to state and federal politicians and contacted the Prime Minister’s office.
