MEMBER for Port Stephens Kate Washington has once again called for a public high school in Medowie.

Currently, there is only one high school in Medowie, which is a Catholic High School.

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Ms Washington moved to Medowie in 2006 with young children, and one child on the way.

Her youngest is now about to finish her schooling, yet a public high school in Medowie is still not built.

“The need for a local public high school hasn’t finished, like my youngest children’s schooling will soon.

“Instead, the need has only increased significantly since 2006, when I was part of a Department of Education working group looking into the provision of secondary schooling in west Port Stephens,” Kate Washington MP said.

In 2011, former Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli visited Medowie and stated that he would make the project shovel ready in 2011.

However, the land for the high school, which was purchased in 1983, remains untouched.

“As it has been for a number of years now, more than 1000 kids are bused across the region to get to high school and it happens all over again in the afternoons.

“Local high schools are over capacity, and the planning strategies expect an additional 7000 dwellings in Medowie by 2036, with many of those already starting construction.

“Instead of addressing an obvious need and building a public high school in Medowie, the Perrottet Government has decided to expand the feeder high schools so that they can accommodate over 1000 extra students between them.”

Ms Washington has addressed this issue in Parliament multiple times and wrote to Sarah Mitchell, Minister for Education for a briefing last year with a follow up this year, however says she is yet to receive a response.

“Every Member in this House has heard me speak in this place about the need for a public high school in Medowie – I know I’m like a broken record but trust me and I am sick of hearing about it and speaking about it too, but I will keep on doing it for as long as this government keeps failing to deliver on its promise to the community which I represent,” she said.

Ms Washington will be hosting a community forum to update local families and to build a path forward on Thursday 17 March, 6PM at Medowie Social.

“We have no public high school and it’s about time that the government started delivering on their responsibility to deliver public education where it’s most needed,” Ms Washington said.

By Tara CAMPBELL