COMMON sense has prevailed at Timboon P-12.
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Parents, teachers and students at the school are in a buoyant mood after the state government agreed to rebuild part of the school to the tune of $5.2 million.
The announcement ended a long journey of frustration for the school community as it tried to provide a first-class education to its students in a school that was basically falling down around them.
A protracted campaign in the media by the community, led by principal Rosalie Moorefield, helped to draw attention to the school's plight and spur action from minister Terry Mulder.
Mr Mulder would argue that the school was always going to get the attention it needed and the media reports had nothing to do with it, but he would be stretching the truth.
Those familiar with Timboon P-12's issues knew it needed new buildings as far back as 1995 and successive governments failed to act.
It was only after the school decided to step up the fight through media and urge local Liberal members and other community groups to get on their side that things started to happen.
To Mr Mulder's credit, he has listened to public opinion and he has acted. Any further delay and the school would have to close down, as it did temporarily at the end of last year because of an asbestos scare.
The Timboon P-12 story is an interesting parallel to the saga of the Warrnambool Special School which has outgrown its present site in the city.
This school also requires urgent attention. It has outgrown its present site and portable classrooms to cater for its growing number of students are still not ready, despite the department of education assuring the school that they would be fit for the start of the school year.
A temporary fix might suffice at the special school for a while, but what's really needed is a new site. You're on a roll Mr Mulder, so why not keep it going?