LOCAL Labor figure Tim Kurylowicz has criticised the state government for allowing Riverina school maintenance backlogs which could take decades to clear.
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Illabo Public School recorded the second highest backlog in NSW regional public schools and is the highest in the Riverina.
The school has a total backlog of $147,263.
With just $3951 of funding allocated to the school for 2017, the backlog would take an astounding 37 years to clear.
The value of outstanding maintenance on the Department of Education's books is now $775 million, with new documents revealing the government has allocated just $65 million in 2017 to address it.
“I think country people are screaming out for our kids to be given the same priority and investment the students in the cities get,” Mr Kurylowicz said.
“They have been left behind for generations.
“The Liberal government has failed to complete the fundamental goal of education – to provide for every child in the state.”
The backlog figures vary across the Riverina.
Collingullie Public School’s backlog of $87,494 could take 17 years to clear, while Lockhart Central School’s $282,427 could take 16, based on the 2017 funding.
Mr Kurylowicz said the school maintenance issues are essentials and should be given the appropriate attention.
“The maintenance issues are not upgrades – they are for things like flushing toilets and heating in classrooms,” Mr Kurylowicz said.
“For the state government to tell Riverina students to wait 30 years just shows where their priorities are.
“Why should they fall to the end of the queue?”
A department of education spokesperson defended the issue and said more than $2.7 million was spent on maintenance at Wagga public schools in the 2015/16 financial year.
“Any maintenance issue that poses a risk to students or staff or impacts on the quality of education is addressed immediately,” the spokesperson said.
“The backlog maintenance at each school reflects the estimated cost of current and future repair work required to ensure buildings continue to perform at an acceptable level.”
The department said it was impossible to clear all the school’s maintenance work, given they serviced more than 2200 schools.
