Win for cluster schools

By TANIA MARTIN
A GROUP of seven local schools has won the right to continue sharing educational services and resources.
The Emerald and District Educational Community (EDEC) cluster is made up of seven schools and was at risk of being divided under a State Government initiative to form new regional boundaries.
The EDEC cluster consists of Emerald Secondary College, and Cockatoo, Emerald, Gembrook, Macclesfield, Menzies Creek and Selby Primary Schools.
In June the community banded together after the State Government announced plans to divide the cluster as a part of the Government’s strategy A Fairer Victoria.
Under the strategy it was proposed the division of the seven schools from the region that forms EDEC.
EDEC cluster spokeswoman Lee Fuller said the realignment of regional boundaries would have resulted in Cockatoo, Emerald and Gembrook Primary Schools and Emerald Secondary College moving from the Eastern to the Southern Region as they were part of the Cardinia Shire Council.
Ms Fuller said the other three primary schools would have to remain in the Eastern Region.
She said the EDEC cluster had worked closely together for more than 18 years and that the division would have adversely affected the cooperative partnership that had existed during that time.
“Under the realignment of municipal boundaries the seven schools would have been split across two regional networks.
“The EDEC cluster would have been unable to continue to operate as successfully because of the competing demands to attend different regional network meetings,” Ms Fuller said.
Ms Fuller said it was great news that Minister for Education Lynne Kosky had agreed to keep the seven EDEC schools together in the Eastern Region.
Ms Kosky last week announced that after examining the work the EDEC schools do together on educational provision, curriculum, professional development, student welfare and other functions, it made sense to keep the cluster together.
She said keeping the cluster as it stands would make sure the strength of its longstanding and successful collaboration was not at risk of being spread across two regions for the sake of administrative purposes.
Ms Fuller said this win for EDEC had demonstrated the local community’s ability to work together to achieve a common goal, one of the stated aims of A Fairer Victoria.
Monbulk MP James Merlino and Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato last week welcomed the announcement that the EDEC cluster would be staying together.
“In response to the concerns raised with us by local schools we strongly argued that the EDEC cluster should be allowed to stay together,” they said.
Mr Merlino and Ms Lobato said after working closely with the principals and school councils to resolve the issue, it was extremely pleasing to see that the State Government had listened to their views.
“This decision means that EDEC can continue its long standing and successful collaboration in the delivery of education services in the area,” they said.