Students at Bendigo's Kalianna School are now making use of modern new classrooms and facilities, with the Andrews Labor Government's huge redevelopment of the specialist school complete.
It was only Labor who promised in 2014 to upgrade the school if elected - and it's only a Labor Government that has delivered on that promise and more, with a $15.6 million, two-stage project to deliver a better education for students at the school.
Premier Daniel Andrews, Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan and Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards today officially opened the redeveloped Nolan Street site after major upgrade works were completed last year.
The project's first stage included a brand-new multipurpose area and classroom facilities, café space/school hub, repurposed administration area including kitchen and dining facilities, meeting spaces and reading nook, and improved staff facilities, as well as new bus drop-off and pick-up areas.
The new café space has allowed Year 11 and 12 VCAL students to complete their hospitality training at school, getting real-world experience for the future while still at school.
The second stage of the project included a new classroom block and the redevelopment of existing classroom blocks, as well as a new roof over the quadrangle play area.
Each classroom block now has a combination of flexible learning areas, collaborative meeting spaces with wet areas and staff resources, with the learning areas catering for the school's move to team teaching as well as individual student needs.
The Labor Government will also deliver a third stage of works, featuring a multipurpose building - with construction set to begin later this year.
Kalianna School was established as a specialist school in 1963, and draws students from the Mount Alexander, Loddon and Greater Bendigo shires.
In the past seven years, the Labor Government has invested more than $10.9 billion in building new schools and more than 1,700 school upgrades, creating around 13,500 jobs in construction and associated industries.
Work to open 100 new schools by 2026 is now ahead of schedule, with 48 already open - including 14 new schools in 2022 alone.
As stated by Premier Daniel Andrews
"We promised we'd deliver Kalianna School a much-needed upgrade if we were elected in 2014 - and that's exactly what we've done, delivering better facilities so kids can have the best opportunities to succeed at school."
As stated by Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan
"Every student in Victoria deserves access to the best school environment - and that's exactly what we've delivered with this huge upgrade of Kalianna School, giving students and hardworking staff the facilities they need to succeed."
As stated by Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards
"We're so proud to deliver this upgrade for this fantastic school community - it's a testament to the strong advocacy of teachers, staff and families from Kalianna School who fought hard for their new facilities.
