Willyama High’s mould infestation was so bad, the outback NSW school needs to be knocked down with demolition to begin within weeks.
Since the infestation was discovered when staff returned from summer holidays in January 2024, its 570 students were learning across three sites in Broken Hill for months before reuniting in April in demountables next to the town’s other high school.
The temporary school, comprising demountable buildings next to Broken Hill High School, is about 3km from the Willyama grounds.
Made up of 17 general classrooms, it has a senior study area, four supported learning classrooms and rooms for elective subjects such as art, music, science and woodwork, along with staff rooms and an administrative office.
Willyama High’s staff and students have shared sports facilities and a hall with Broken Hill High School but otherwise the school has operated separately as a distinct school community.
Consultation opens on Tuesday for the proposed new school that includes 30 general and specialist classrooms, science labs, a library and hall.
Also proposed are workshops for wood and metalworking and visual arts, and a commercial kitchen for hospitality subjects.
The classrooms will surround a new oval, with a covered basketball court and agricultural plot being retained from the old school.
Education Minister Prue Car said hundreds of students, staff and parents have already weighed in ahead of the consultation entering a new phase on Tuesday.
“Today marks significant progress in our commitment to build a new, state-of-the-art Willyama High School that delivers for the Broken Hill community both now and into the future,” she said.
The proposed school could one day cater to 730 students.
Local independent MP Roy Butler said the new school must deliver contemporary facilities for years to come.
“Willyama is an important school for the Broken Hill community and it is vital that we continue to work constructively with the community to see it delivered for local families and to see that they get the school that they need,” he said.
A decision on its builder is expected within months with construction to begin by 2026, with hopes it will be ready that year.
An independent hygienist’s report identified two dangerous pathogens among the mould found in several locations tested following the outbreak - aspergillus and penicillium spp.
The exact cause could not be determined, but the hygienist found it was likely moisture from the school’s evaporative cooling system left running over the break, end-of-year carpet cleaning and water ingress after an unseasonably wet summer.
Images in the report showed mould around air conditioning ducts, on concrete, in cabinets, table tops and in long smears across carpets.
Fungal growth was also observed on drum kit skins, fabric desk chairs, paintings and mouse pads.
The near-windowless facility was built in the 1970s and had been dubbed by some as “the jail”.
(with AAP)
