Two NSW Government school projects unveiled recently have been welcomed by Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne – but they don't go far enough to tackling the public school crisis in Box Hill.
Mayor Byrne said the announced upgrade of Rouse Hill High School and the fast-tracking of Box Hill High School were a good start but were a long way from solving the crisis.
"This is a step in the right direction – but it's like trying to stop a tsunami with a sandbag," Mayor Byrne said.
"This Government has set us the biggest housing target in the state but without the infrastructure spending to match.
"We already have the most overcrowded schools in the state – and these projects won't even accommodate the existing students in Box Hill and Rouse Hill, let alone the tens of thousands expected in the coming years and beyond.
"Thousands of families in Box Hill are still being forced to send their children up to 45 minutes away just to access public education. That's not fair, and it's not sustainable."
Rouse Hill High School enrols students from parts of Box Hill, which has resulted in an enrolment growth from 931 students in 2020 to 1,324 in 2024.
Mayor Byrne said the community urgently needs three additional primary schools and one Kindergarten to Year 12 school to meet current and future demand in Box Hill.
"When the Box Hill Precinct was first rezoned, it was expected to accommodate 9,600 homes and 28,000 people. Now, due to additional housing pushed by successive NSW Governments, we're looking at 50,000 residents in the next decade," Mayor Byrne said.
"Delivering one pop-up high school and limiting it to just two-year groups is a band aid solution to a full-blown crisis.
"We need schools in Box Hill and we need them now, and not just in Box Hill, but the wider Hills community.
"The Hills has the most overcrowded schools in the state, with 46 per cent of them over their enrolment cap by more than 100 students."
To advocate for essential infrastructure in the region, The Hills Shire Council has launched its Fight for a Fairer Hills Future campaign, calling on the NSW Government to commit to 40 new sports fields, 45 road upgrades, and 14 new schools to support the area's rapid growth.
"Council is giving our residents the chance to have their growing pains detailed in NSW Parliament. We need residents to get behind this campaign so that the Government understands the day-to-day struggles our residents are dealing with," Mayor Byrne said.
Sign the petition at: www.fairerhillsfuture.com.au.
