Lockington mother Carolyn Lewis is among a number of parents of special children calling on the state government to deliver on its promises, after being overlooked in yet another budget.

TALK of a new school was underway when Lockington mother Carolyn Lewis enrolled her daughter, Kaitlyn, at Echuca Specialist School.

About eight years have since passed, and the much-needed facility has yet to materialise.

Mrs Lewis has come to accept the asbestos-ridden buildings and cramped grounds are likely to see her 14-year-old daughter through the rest of her schooling.

But she doesn’t want it to be that way for the next generation of young people with special needs in the region’s north.

“It’s falling down around their ears,” Mrs Lewis said of the school.

Members of the school community had been expecting $15 million to be allocated to the construction of a new school in the most recent state budget, in accordance with promises by the government.

Echuca Specialist School principal Paul Marshall said he had been amazed by the outrage the community had shown since it became apparent the project had been overlooked, yet again.

“Parents are feeling discriminated against… the town is feeling discriminated against,” he said.

Mr Marshall said he’d received emails, calls and people dropping in to the school to express their disappointment at the lack of funding.

“We have been ready, for years, for this, and we want action,” he said.

The school services central Victorian communities such as Rochester, Corop, Tongala and Kyabram – families for whom schools in Bendigo are too far away to be viable options.

Mrs Lewis said Echuca Specialist School was the only option for Kaitlyn to continue her education.

What’s more, she said it was a school community her daughter, who is non-verbal, enjoyed being a part of.

“I love the school and the teachers,” Mrs Lewis said.

There was a time when she said the school was among the fastest growing in the region, with about 132 children enrolled.

Mrs Lewis said student numbers had dropped to about 120 since 2014.

She said the challenges posed by the school facilities were taking their toll on the staff, the students and their families – something Mr Marshall echoed.

“It makes it extremely difficult,” he said.

“Two weeks ago we had a day and a half without water.”

The power supply to the school was also described as erratic, and the school has reported issues with sewerage.

Victorian Education Minister James Merlino said he was aware more needed to be done at Echuca Specialist School.

“I have said repeatedly we will finish what we started and I mean it,” he said. But he did not specify when.

“The Andrews Labor Government invested $11 million for the new Echuca Twin Rivers Primary School,” Mr Merlino said.

“The school opened at the start of this year as part of the project’s first stage, completing a merge between Echuca South Primary School and Echuca West Primary School.”

The Echuca Specialist School is also a party to the merger, with works relegated to the project’s second stage.

It is understood the state government will continue to work with the school and consider funding as part of future budget processes.

Senior Victorian School Building Authority staff are believed to have attended the school on May 23 in relation to sewerage issues.

Works are expected to take place during the upcoming school holidays, and be finished before the start of the new school term.

The VSBA has also approved replacement air conditioners for a number of air-conditioning units in the school’s portable classrooms.