Mount Carmel needs just five extra students per grade to open an independent community college next year, according to its steering committee.
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But their efforts are being hampered by the Catholic Education Office, parents say.
Parents have been fighting to keep Catholic high school education in the Yass Valley since authorities announced they would close Mt Carmel secondary school at the end of the 2014 due to declining enrolments.
CEO acting director Helen Casey put a two-page advertisement in the Mount Carmel newsletter this week promoting priority enrolments to Canberra Catholic schools in Florey, Nicholls, Braddon, Griffith and Tuggeranong.
This has outraged some parents who feel the CEO is effectively gagging Mt Carmel from promoting their preferred option of operating independently of the CEO.
The CEO recently directed the school to stop updating parents on the committee’s progress toward an independent 7-10 at Mt Carmel next year. It is understood parental mailing lists and school resources have also been restricted by the CEO.
“I'm guessing they know when the independent option becomes viable, it will 'steal' the enrolments that they were banking on in the ACT system by closing our school,” Lauren Brown posted on the Save Mount Carmel Facebook page.
Ms Casey said it was a conflict of interest for the committee to have use of CEO resources.
“If people employed by us are working towards a school outside of our system, we would say there is a conflict of interest,” she told the Tribune.
“We’re employed by the CEO and our responsibilities are towards supporting [systemic] schools.
“If an invitation is there from the Archbishop for a school within the system, we would be working with them to get everything ready.”
Mount Carmel College Steering Committee chair Kirsty Dwyer said an independent secondary school offering quality teachers and lower fees than Canberra would be an attractive option for many in Yass Valley.
Proposed fees of $3500 to $4500 per year remain at least $2000 less than the nearest equivalent school in Canberra.
“Mt Carmel is fortunate to have an extremely experienced, local and talented team of secondary teachers,” Ms Dwyer said.
“This is fundamental to Mt Carmel’s offering and will be a cornerstone of the new college.”
She said the independent college would look to expand subjects based on student need, and focus on delivering outstanding results.
“The NAPLAN results clearly demonstrate Mt Carmel delivers the achievements parents and students value. The alumni base their success on the up-to-11-years they spent at Mt Carmel,” she said.
“We can’t take applications yet but we are interested in knowing interest in Mt Carmel College.”
She said parents keen to have their children receive a quality local education at an independent school in Yass should email Kim Gourlay, kimgourlay@hotmail.com.