• Bendigo South East College (BSE) came to rank with the best in Australia.

• BSE was the highest achieving and most sought after college in the region. 

•  Enrolment at the college rose substantially to over 1600 students. 

• A highly competent and hard working staff was developed.  

• Students were provided with an exceptional range of curricula and extra-curricula opportunities.  Dedicated staff spent many additional hours developing and supporting these programs.

• The highly renowned BSE Virtual was developed providing students and their families with live tracking of all aspects of their learning  via the student dashboards.  

• The  world class Academy of Creative Arts (ACA) and Athlete Development (ADP) programs were developed offering fantastic opportunities for students. 

• BSE was accredited with the Council of International Schools (CIS) proving it was operating at world class level.  

• BSE students developed a culture of being responsible and well presented citizens.

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As a retired secondary principal with 47 years experience I understand that:

• Principals do not have license to make decisions unilaterally.  All school finances and employment matters are administered online.  The region and the central offices monitor all aspects and regional line managers regularly visit their schools to review operations and performance.  If they are not happy with any aspect of the way schools are  being administered they can and will intervene. 

• College Councils are regularly provided with reports on operations including detailed financial reports.  

Ernie Fleming is legendary for his total commitment to education.  Ernie worked from dawn until late seven days a week. By fulfilling multiple additional roles eg Year 10 coordination, teaching classes and weekend work Ernie Fleming saved the school hundreds of thousands of dollars, helping fund new initiatives such as the specialisms. 

Karen Fleming, although one of the lowest paid of staff at BSE, made a great contribution to the college through boundless (unpaid) extra hours and a shared commitment to ensure that students and staff were supported in their work. 

The success and hard work of Adam Fleming and his staff in setting set up the world class ADP program is a clear indication that he was a good choice for the position.  

The actions of Ernie Fleming have always been guided by what delivered the best outcomes for students and staff.

Ernie Fleming has made a massive contribution to education.  Thousands will forever be appreciative of his work.   

Under his leadership the school has been able to attract and develop an excellent staff.  It is for this reason BSE promises to continue to be an excellent school. 

BSE is currently advertising for a new principal.   I sincerely wish that a leader with the commitment, expertise and personal qualities of Ernie Fleming can be found.

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