Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, has welcomed the announcement today by the Deputy Premier and Member for Gippsland South, Peter Ryan, that the future of the Sale Specialist School has been secured.
Mr Bull said a four hectare site on the Princes Highway, in Sale’s north, had been acquired with the government committing $4 million in the 2014-15 Victorian Budget for planning and design, and to deliver stage one works.
“This is a great day for students, parents and teachers at the Sale Specialist School,” Mr Bull said.
"Today's announcement will make an enormous difference to the lives of so many children with special needs and their families.
"The families of students both present and future that access this school from towns in my electorate like Maffra, Heyfield, Stratford and surrounding districts will be delighted.
"To all those who have lobbied for this outcome, my congratulations and like them, I am already looking forward to this new facility opening its doors.
"Finalising a site for the school has been a drawn out and complicated process, but today's announcement is a major step forward in establishment of a new purpose built facility that will meet the needs of the community well into the future," Mr Bull said.
Mr Ryan said the site chosen was one of the largest of the 13 sites originally offered up by local landowners, enabling construction of a school that will cater for a growing demand for years to come.
“The community can now look forward to the planning and design works for the new school beginning.
“It was not possible to begin designing the new school until the land had been secured, but with the land now purchased we can start the process with certainty,” Mr Ryan said.
“I strongly encourage parents and families to share their vision and ideas with the school board about how they would like the school designed and built.”
Mr Ryan said once planning and design was complete, initial works would begin at the site.
“The intention of this first $4 million is to enable stage one works to begin. The balance of funds to complete this project will follow,” he said.
