Northcote High School students will now be able to securely store their bikes at school thanks to a $55,000 cheque presented to the School today by Kat Theophanous, the Member for Northcote.

The funding comes courtesy of the Andrews Labor Government’s School Pride and Sports fund and will mean around 200 new secure bike racks will be constructed at the school.

The State Government funding comes with the added bonus of a $5,000 contribution from the Federal Government thanks to the Member for Cooper, Ged Kearney.

Northcote High School currently has more than 1800 students. Many of those students choose to ride to school and many more of those students now have the option to ride to school, knowing there will be somewhere secure to store their bikes.

The investment comes as a welcome relief to parents and motorists who experience daily congestion on St Georges Road, especially around the school at pick-up times. The school has only a few precious car parks and sits beside the fifth-busiest bike route in Australia. With more students now able to ride to school, they will rely less on parents and their vehicles.

The Victorian Labor Government has invested $6.1 billion over the last five State Budgets to build, upgrade and maintain school infrastructure across Victoria. A total of 100 new schools will open by 2026 under the Labor Government’s school building boom, ensuring every child has a great local school and a great start in life.

This building boom will continue over the coming years, with the Government having already appointed builders to start delivering 11 schools across the state that will open in 2020 and 14 schools that will open in 2021.

The Labor Government is building the Education State so that every student can access a great local school and a quality education.

Quotes attributable to Member for Northcote Kat Theophanous

“Our local schools are what make our community the great place to live and raise a family. I have a very productive relationship with the Minister for Education, James Merlino that I will always use to get the very best for our schools. This funding gives students and their parents peace of mind and means they can choose to ride to school.

Quotes attributable to Northcote High School Principal, Sue Harrap

“The Northcote High School community are delighted to receive funding to provide bike storage for our students. We are so pleased that more students and staff will be able to ride to school and store their bikes safely.”