It is quite clear that Nick McKim is determined to force through as many school closures as he possibly can.
Documents revealed by the Liberals in Parliament today show that in 2008, Nick McKim wrote to Sandy Bay Infant School, giving them his “best wishes for a successful future for the Sandy Bay Infant School”.
In the same letter, he also stated that he was “very interested in research that supports the contention that small schools can provide highly beneficial outcomes for students, teachers and communities”.
Now that he is the Education Minister, he wants to shut the school down.
This shows that you couldn’t trust Nick McKim then, and you certainly can’t trust him now. He says he has made no decisions on which schools will shut but he’s already factored the savings of shutting all 20 schools into his budget.
Worse still, the documents also show that while Sandy Bay Infant School has brand new facilities built only recently, it would be shut down and the students currently there would be sent to another primary school where three new classrooms would have to be built at taxpayer expense.
It’s simply mad to think that shutting a school with new facilities and sending the displaced students to another school, where more brand new facilities would have to be built is going to save money and produce better outcomes.
Finally, the documents said that there was “internationally recognised research” highlighting the benefits of Mr McKim’s slash and burn policy. But when asked to name the research today, the Minister didn’t know and could only suggest parents try searching on Google.
It’s not good enough and Tasmanians are starting to realise that Mr McKim is just like his Labor Cabinet colleagues and can’t be trusted.