The announcement, made by the executive director of assets for the NSW Department of Education Anthony Perrau, comes on the back of an in-depth consideration of the facilities a merger would need.

Mr Perrau told those gathered at a Department of Education meeting in Griffith he did not believe $25 million would be enough to make the changes the city’s students needed.

“$25 million is not going to cut it, I think it is at least $45...it may even go more than that,” he said.

“If we are going to do it we will have to do it properly and to do it properly there are going to be more costs.”

The first analysis of data from the community consultation process was also presented at Monday’s meeting, by Sauce Communication’s Dee Wilkes-Bowes.

There were 357 contributors to the online questionnaire, with the firm acknowledging response rates had not been as high as expected.

Ms Wilkes-Bowes said there had been a number of those participating who expressed strong views opposing a merger of schools, but there was also others who saw the benefits of having a single school.

However, a majority of those involved noted the need for changes in at least some areas to enhance secondary education within the city.

Education Minister and Member for Murray Adrian Piccoli attended the meeting with a caution for those involved in the decision process to consider the needs of students first.

“If we put house prices ahead of students we are putting the interests of adults in front of the interests of students,” he said.

Sauce Communication’s analysis of their data continues, below are some early indicators of what the community has said on both options.

Option one

Key Positives

• Increased subject choice Years 7-12

• More scope for collaborative learning and for students to interact with like-minded people

• Significant improvement in facilities

• Expanded resources with access for everyone (e.g. special needs / disabilities / specialist teachers)

• Opportunities for staff and teacher retention

• Pooling of resources could bring best of both schools together

• Remove the ‘us and them’ stigma between the two schools

• Bring a significant capital investment to Griffith education

• Easier for businesses and community to collaborate with / support one school

Key Issues

• Reduction of competition and choice

• Larger school could see students ‘lost between the cracks’ & reduce capacity for student / teacher relationships

• Clarity on how the capital investment would deliver improved student outcomes

• Effect of transition period on students, particularly those in senior years

• Concern that $25m may be insufficient to deliver the proposed option

• Concern the projected population growth in the medium term wouldn’t be catered for with one school

• Removal of Wade students’ ability to walk to school and increased bus travel time

• Loss of heritage and history at each school

• Reduction in land value for people who purchased in walking distance of Wade school

• Increased traffic around Griffith High School

Option two

Key Positives

• Maximise strengths of each school as they stand and maintain existing cultures and traditions

• Allow each school to continue to cater to their particular,‘clientele’

• More space for students e.g. sporting,classrooms

• Improved facilities due to $10m upgrade

• Choice of public secondary schools in Griffith

Key Issues

• Difficult to ensure increased collaboration

• The two schools have different strategic directions – need to collaborate much more closely from the highest strategic level

• Logistics of moving large numbers of students between two schools and loss of learning time

• Improvement in facilities limited

• Will not have same capacity to bring the Griffith community together

• Limited capacity for business and others to collaborate with two schools