Parents at St Kilda Park Primary School are calling for urgent state funding to modernise ageing facilities they say are no longer good enough for a thriving inner-city public school.
In April, the school council wrote to the Premier and Education Minister seeking capital investment for a large indoor hall, modern specialist learning spaces and fit-for-purpose, disability-compliant student toilets.
In its letter, the council says St Kilda Park Primary is a proud and inclusive public school with 321 students from diverse cultural, socio-economic and learning backgrounds, but its buildings are not keeping pace with the needs of students and teachers.
In May, Minister Ben Carroll replied saying the school’s infrastructure needs, including the requested gymnasium, would continue to be considered during the annual state budget process and future capital works program prioritisations. For parents, that amounted to being told to join the queue.
Parents say the school lacks a large indoor space for physical education, assemblies, performances, celebrations and community events, leaving activities vulnerable to Melbourne’s weather. They argue a hall would also provide a valuable after-hours community asset in a part of Port Phillip where indoor community space is scarce.
The council is also seeking dedicated specialist classrooms and better student amenities. Its letter says science lessons have been taught in the library and Italian classes in the kitchen because the school does not have adequate modern learning spaces.
The most pointed concern is the state of the student toilets, which parents say have received only minor maintenance since they were built almost five decades ago in 1979. The school council wants them replaced with facilities that are contemporary, accessible and safe for every student.
Public records show St Kilda Park Primary has received only $200,000 in capital funding since 2016, and parents say proper capital works are badly needed.
Caption: Auditor-General data shows St Kilda Park Primary is one of six local schools rated as worn. It also shows SKiPPS received no upgrade investment between 2017 and 2026. (Source)
The push comes as scrutiny grows over how school upgrade money is allocated across Victoria. A June 2026 Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO) report found the Victorian School Building Authority understands the condition of government schools, but “its recommendations to government do not always align with its own strategies for targeting schools in poor condition.”
(TWiSK is a big fan of VAGO because its findings are usually fearless and frank. This finding about the VSBA, however, is written in carefully coded language. It says the authority’s recommendations to government do not always align with the stated process, leaving readers to infer outside influences, including political considerations.)
Caption: Auditor-General data shows school upgrade funding is lower now than in 2017–18, making the task harder for worn schools. (Source)
Those findings have sharpened local frustration, especially at older inner-suburban schools, where a campus may be officially assessed as functional but remain outdated. Even when officially rated as ‘worn’, St Kilda Park’s overall condition score does not capture the day-to-day reality of toilets, specialist rooms and indoor recreation space.
Neighbouring St Kilda Primary School recently secured $13.173 million in the 2026–27 State Budget for a competition-grade gymnasium and new oval after sustained community advocacy. The contrast has not gone unnoticed: the City of Port Phillip welcomed that investment as recognition of the need for shared indoor and outdoor facilities in a high-density neighbourhood.
St Kilda Park parents say their school now deserves similar attention. The council says families are not asking for luxuries, but for the basic facilities nearby government schools have received over the past decade.
What the school is asking for
• A decent indoor space where kids can do PE, gather for assemblies and put on performances without everyone checking the weather forecast first.
• A hall that can be used by the wider community after hours, not just during the school day.
• Proper rooms for specialist classes, so science is not squeezed into the library and Italian is not taught in the kitchen.
• Student facilities that feel up to date, practical and easy for everyone to use.
• Toilets that are modern, safe and accessible — not facilities patched up since 1979.
