King’s quandry continues
THE King David School officially opened its new multi-million dollar campus last week, amid ongoing council and neighbour disputes regarding the use of the precinct.
THE King David School officially opened its new multi-million dollar campus last week, amid ongoing council and neighbour disputes regarding the use of the precinct.
With the school still in a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) battle over usage permits for the new building on Orrong Road, Prahran, school president Michael Lawrence used the public opportunity to raise the continuing quandary.
“I thought it was time to let the community know what a ludicrous situation it is, and it’s still not resolved,” Lawrence told The AJN. “We are now in this building without reasonable access and we are being discriminated against.”
The school is currently awaiting a VCAT decision, expected during the next week, for the amendment of four clauses in its permit.
These include allowing all King David School students access to the new building – currently restricted to those attending the adjacent campus; permitting teachers to accompany their classes at the facility; allowing members of the school community and invited guests to the building on specific occasions; and allowing students from other schools to compete in sports activities within limited periods.
“Our donors have given generously, the State Government has facilitated a building permit, but our neighbours and some councillors still would prefer we were not here at all,” Lawrence said in his address.
“It is hard to imagine how we can have a school on two sides of Orrong Road where one side can be used almost 24 hours a day, seven days a week and in the building where we sit today, not even the Mayor or Prime Minister is allowed on the premises during school hours.”
Lawrence said he feels “there is no level playing field” between his school and other local schools.
“It is hard to imagine any other school … being denied the ability to play sport against other schools [or] perform in a joint music concert with students from other schools,” he said. “This clearly is a case of The King David School being disadvantaged. Enough is enough and we ask that we be treated fairly and no differently to others and the waste of our children’s education funds goes to education and not legal costs.”
With an overall project cost of $11.8 million, including the purchase of the Orrong Road land, the Rebecca Magid Centre was made possible through a $2 million federal Government contribution and pledges of $3.8 million from the school community. The school is expected to sell its other Orrong Road campus in time to make up the shortfall.
DALIA SABLE
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