The community group that played a huge role in having the Dapto jail proposal rejected, have turned their attention to bringing a new school to the suburb.
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Now called Residents for Dapto, group members are dismayed no new school is planned for West Dapto.
Ami Beck, whose oldest child started school in Dapto this week, can’t believe the state government is building 60 new schools throughout the state, but have no plans to build one in the fastest growing residential area in regional NSW.
“Our schools are bursting at the seams and continue to grow rapidly, we have hundreds of kids trying to learn in demountables every day and we have traffic chaos on a daily basis around our jam-packed schools,” she said.
When known as Residents Against Dapto Jail, the group’s motto was ‘School Yards Not Prison Guards’.
It's what our community needs and it's what we intend to fight for. Our kids deserve the best chance at the best education. We need a new school.
- Ami Beck
“That wasn't a throw away line. It's what our community needs and it's what we intend to fight for. Our kids deserve the best chance at the best education. We need a new school,” Mrs Beck said.
Residents for Dapto are calling on the community to lobby all parties before the March 23 state election.
Recently the NSW Shadow Treasurer Ryan Park said if Labor won government in March it would look at building a school in West Dapto.
“We are looking at all the growth areas across the state and looking what we can allocate and what they need in terms of additional schools both at a high school and primary school level to make sure they get the resources they need,” Mr Park said.
“We can free up hundreds of millions of dollars in some cases over a billion dollars to go back into those front-line schools and hospitals.
“Growth areas Dapto and Shoalhaven as well as Appin, Picton and Camden – those areas will have in the next decade or so in excess of 30,000 people.”
The NSW Government’s last budget delivered funding for 170 new or upgraded schools over the next four years.
But the $6 billion budget spend to create an extra 2000 classrooms for almost 44,000 more students, did not include any new schools being built in the growth suburb of West Dapto.
A multi-million dollar upgrade of Dapto Public School though has started.
Nevertheless the Residents for Dapto group want residents to pressure political parties ahead of the state election about their plans for a new school in Dapto.
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
