Public schools in the Lithgow Local Government Area have a combined maintenance backlog of $1.9 million ($1,962,607), according to the most recent Department of Education figures.
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Some schools are also facing a wait of almost 20 years to fix the issues if allocations continue at current levels, data obtained in a freedom of information request by Fairfax Media has revealed.
The data shows nine public schools in the Lithgow Local Government area have maintenance backlogs, with six of those schools having backlogs that will take more an a decade to fix if funding levels go unchanged.
Based on projections from the data Cullen Bullen has the longest wait of 19 years at a cost of $97,727, while Lithgow High School has the highest cost for work of $726,407 and a predicted 11 year wait.
Lithgow Public School (with a $591,681 backlog) will be waiting 17 years at current levels, while Portland Central ($403,828) will be waiting 16 years and Hampton Public School ($30,864) 13 years.
The issues in schools across the LGA include toilet block upgrades, carpet replacement, fixing damaged roofs, replacing windows and painting.
Cooerwull Public School has the least amount of maintenance with a predicition the $26,329 worth of work could be completed in one year. Capertee Public School ($4,384) and Wallerawang Public School ($36,531) are also only expected to take two years at current funding levels.
Across New South Wales 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.
A spokesman for the Department told Fairfax Media the maintenance bill should be seen in the context of its $25 billion asset base – over 2200 schools across the state.
"The Department of Education has a well-defined maintenance strategy. All statutory and preventive maintenance is completed as a first priority to ensure our schools are safe and compliant," the spokesman said.
"In a portfolio of properties the size of the department's it is not feasible to have no outstanding maintenance work."
Lynn Rayner
I am the editor of the Daily Liberal, Mailbox Shopper, Western Magazine and associated western publications (Wellington Times and Narromine News which are both online only publications). I have been the editor for three years. I have been a journalist for 15 years and was formally the digital specialist for the Western NSW area assisting with digital coverage and growth across 13 mastheads, including the three dailies. Before that I worked as a journalist in Lithgow and Mudgee covering a number of different rounds. I established the social media accounts in Lithgow and took an interest in the digital aspects of the paper. I started my journalism career at the former Myall Coast Nota based as the journalist-in-charge at Tea Gardens while also working part time in Forster as the council reporter for the Great Lakes Advocate.
I am the editor of the Daily Liberal, Mailbox Shopper, Western Magazine and associated western publications (Wellington Times and Narromine News which are both online only publications). I have been the editor for three years. I have been a journalist for 15 years and was formally the digital specialist for the Western NSW area assisting with digital coverage and growth across 13 mastheads, including the three dailies. Before that I worked as a journalist in Lithgow and Mudgee covering a number of different rounds. I established the social media accounts in Lithgow and took an interest in the digital aspects of the paper. I started my journalism career at the former Myall Coast Nota based as the journalist-in-charge at Tea Gardens while also working part time in Forster as the council reporter for the Great Lakes Advocate.
