By Alesha Capone
PARENTS fear a private Caroline Springs school with 229 pupils could shut next year, after recently going into voluntary administration.
The ICA Melton College, which employs 37 staff members, is being sold through Ernst and Young, although the State Government provided emergency funding of $1.5 million to keep the school operating until the end of this year.
More than 150 pupils, parents and teachers from the college marched on Parliament House last week to raise awareness of their plight.
A statement from the school’s administrator J. P. Downey, to parents and staff at ICA, said “the potential purchaser of the Melton campus has indicated that it is likely to operate as a school in 2011, however, it is likely to have a different curriculum.”
The statement also said the likely purchaser of the educational institution already operated schools in Victoria.
However, a parent from the school, Mandi Loyal, said the purchasers were under no obligation to operate the college next year.
“There’s only two weeks until the end of term, the likelihood of opening the school next year with a whole new curriculum is not very likely,” she said.
She said families who sent their children to the Prep to Grade 12 college also wanted the ICA curriculum, which places an emphasis on building relationships and thinking and communication skills as well as traditional subjects, to remain in place.
The mother-of-two said without knowing what would happen to the school site, many parents did not know where they would send their children to school next year.
“Our schools and staff are in limbo,” she said.
“We are completely gutted, however despite all this we’re still trying to get our own story out there. We’re angry corporate greed has been put ahead of community concerns and children,” she said.
