The NSW Department of Education has written to the P&C Federation regarding community funded projects in public schools. I am pleased to provide you with that letter in full, embedded below. To access the PDF version and use the hyperlinks therein, please click here.
As always, if you require support we are here for you. You can contact us on mail@pandc.org.au or 1300 885 982.
Kind regards,
Gemma Quinn
Chief Executive Officer
Yvonne Hilsz
President
Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of NSW
Yvonne.hilsz@pandc.org.au
CC: Gemma Quinn, Chief Executive Officer
Gemma.quinn@pandc.org.au
Dear Ms Hilsz
I am writing to update you on our work to deliver community-funded projects at public schools across the State.
Thank you for your patience as our teams work through the multi-year backlog of project requests.
I acknowledge that there are some requests dating back more than 3 years. Our Asset Management team has been going through each request, line-by-line, to prioritise them for delivery.
We are in the process of meeting with school principals to confirm this prioritisation, and I am pleased to advise that we are on track to hold the remainder of these meetings early in Term 3.
ADDRESSING THE BACKLOG
The NSW Government’s recent budget announcement committed a record $28 billion to education, including record maintenance funding and the allocation of $200 million to address the backlog of local upgrades previously committed to schools.
The Asset Management team is resourced at its full capacity and is working to ensure it prioritises and delivers on this. The team is continuing to reduce the backlog and we will also look at other opportunities to help deliver as many requests as possible.
Community funded projects, including those from P&Cs, can continue to be submitted. We have provided clarity on the types of work that do not require Asset Management approval and can be undertaken by the school directly. Please click here for more information about this.
Please also note as part of our project process, the funds you have raised will not be deducted from the P&C’s account until we can confirm an estimate of cost and the timeline to commence works.
All successful Community Building Partnership grants projects will also be delivered as a priority. We are working closely with the Community Building Partnerships team to review all existing approved projects, and to confirm their status. Once this is known, we will update the principal and discuss the plans moving forward.
COST ESCALATION
The department will cover inflation costs as needed for projects that have been significantly delayed. In addition, urgent maintenance work or remediation may affect when projects can be delivered. Where the scope of the original project has changed, the owner of the project will need to allow for the additional costs, and we will work with the school as this is resolved.
URGENT WORKS AND MAINTENANCE
If your project is urgent or relates to a maintenance issue, please discuss this with your school principal who can then escalate this request to their dedicated Asset Services Officer.
Maintenance is the responsibility of the department, and school communities should not feel responsible for maintaining the condition of critical facilities. Alternatively, please email sinswassetmgt@det.nsw.edu.au and the team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Thank you for your support of public education.
Kind Regards,
Lisa Harrington
A/Deputy Secretary School Infrastructure NSW Department of Education
11 July 2024
NSW Department of Education Level 8, 8 Central Ave Sydney NSW 2000 GPO Box 33 Sydney NSW 2001 T 02 9273 9200 www.schoolinfrastructure.nsw.gov.au