By Tanya Faulkner
A community is in shock after Knox City Council came to a decision on locally-run kindergarten services.
The council had decided to stop running standalone kindergarten services and will make its buildings available to other sessional kindergarten providers from January 2025.
The meeting held earlier this week on 14 August was a tense environment, as debate broke out around two amended proposals presented to the council.
The first was submitted by Cr Sorina Grasso stating that council should seriously consider option 1.
Cr Grasso suggested that from the level of community engagement provided, including the feedback from kindergarten staff at a meeting on 7 August, council should remain a sessional kindergarten provider, creating a more sustainable service by consolidating the existing service to no more than 20 sites from 2024, and increase the hours offered to 1.5 hours.
She also mentioned that by going with option 2, there would be approximately 110 secure jobs lost, which would not be good for the employees or their families, and the redundancy costs may be a burden on the council.
“The quality of service and the needs of our kids should be at the forefront of our thinking,” she told councillors.
Cr Grasso also stated that going with option 1 would result in “significant savings”, and that further review would need to be undertaken by 2026 regarding the implication of the state government’s requirements.
The amendment also included the receipt of a petition organised by the Australian Education Union (AEU) containing 2255 names urging council to act to ensure their kindergarten services would continue to be delivered by City of Knox Council.
Scott Ward Cr Lisa Cooper rebutted saying the savings suggested in option 1 were only short to medium term, and that the expenses on council were likely to increase over time, particularly as government funding had no certainty behind it.
Knox Deputy Mayor, Cr Jude Dwight agreed, and also said it was almost derogatory to say that council provided the “best” services, when she knew of kindergartens in the Chandler Ward that were providing excellent services to Knox youths.
Mayor, Cr Marcia-Timmers Leitch said there are kindergarten providers already operating in Knox and surrounding areas who are better equipped to grow and adapt their services than the council.
“There are big changes coming for kindergarten as part of the state government’s decision to increase hours, make kindergarten free and offer a second year of kindergarten before school.
“Independent providers can be more agile and flexible in the way they plan, adapt and deliver their services when kindergarten is their core business.
“Knox is one of very few councils left in Melbourne that directly provides kindergarten on the scale that we do, so the ongoing changes to this sector affect us more than other councils.”
Cr Timmers-Leitch also presented an amended proposal to council for debate at the meeting, with modifications to wordings to the proposed option 2.
It stated that council should ‘refocus’ its role as a municipal planner, while balancing the operational and financial risks of being a provider with the social benefits, by remaining a sessional kindergarten provider.
“Council delivers more than 100 services to our community,” she said.
“We need to balance kindergarten services against every other service to determine the best way to deliver value for our whole community.”
Cr Darren Pearce of Taylor Ward agreed with the Mayor, saying the wording shift from “remain” to “refocus” was essential, and council should adopt option 2 and go down to just the two kindergarten hubs.
Tirhatuan Ward’s Cr Nicole Seymour also stated that these reforms were introduced by state government without council consultation, which has pushed Knox council’s service model to breaking point.
“The times and hours currently offered by council kindergarten services are not appealing to the Knox community, and we can’t keep pace with the rapidly changing sector or family needs,” Cr Seymour said.
She said the council needs to focus on its position as a municipal planner, and the recommendation of adopting the amended option 2 was the only viable and sustainable option moving forward.
Council question time was also dedicated to the impending kindergarten decision, with a dozen kindergarten teachers from the Knox municipality making one final stand to urge council to choose option 1, and question the decision further.
Questions presented to the council mainly questioned the body’s decision to ‘not even consider option 1’, and those on the panel said they felt as though the council had an intention to steer them away from option 1, despite the overall preference for this option by the community panel.
One even questioned the data presented in the data used to drive the decision, saying it was “circumstantial” and “skewed”.
Ultimately, Cr Timmers-Leitch led the council in a vote, which was almost unanimous besides the vote from Cr Grasso, and carried the amended option 2 proposal into motion.
Cr Timmers-Leitch said council will be working with the Department of Education to ensure the transition to new services is smooth, and said they will be opening up expressions of interest for alternate providers.
“We are committed to providing our buildings and spaces for other providers to offer local sessional kindergarten for families.
“Council will continue providing sessional kindergarten at the Knox Children and Family Centres in Bayswater and Wantirna.”
Council members stated this decision was not an easy one to make, and not made lightly, but is the best option for Knox moving forward.
“This will set a benchmark for the quality of kindergarten available in Knox,” Cr Timmers-Leitch said.
“Council has an important role to play in planning and supporting services for our youngest residents and their families, and the best way to do this is not always by being a direct service provider.
“Reducing our services to two sites also allows us to refocus on our role in planning for the municipality as a whole.”
Cr Timmers-Leitch said this decision will make the City of Knox Council more aligned to the way most other councils operate across the state.
“Our priority throughout this process has been to ensure all local families can access a mix of high-quality services in their local area, regardless of who is delivering them,” she said.
“We will work with new providers and the Department of Education, which has primary responsibility for kindergarten, to ensure the continuity of quality care and education for children and families in Knox.”
The council conducted a thorough review of kindergarten services over several years which included consultation with staff and the community.
In a statement released by the Australian Education Union, it states council has “condemned” the City of Knox “for walking away from the provision of essential kinder services, despite the overwhelming wishes of the local community”.
Branch President Meredith Peace said she was profoundly disappointment over the decision, which will leave approximately 120 employees with no job security, and impact the early learning of approximately 1,100 three and four-year-olds in Knox.
“Despite the overwhelming support for Knox to remain a provider of kindergarten, demonstrated throughout the consultation process, the work of the community advisory group, feedback from staff and families and the AEU petition of over 2,500 people, councillors voted against the wishes of the community,” she said.
“This shows a complete lack of respect for the staff, families and the local community and our members who work for City of Knox are deeply despondent.
“There remain significant questions regarding the reasons for this decision that must be addressed by Knox Council and councillors that supported the move.
Ms Peace said in particular, the decision to lease council facilities to other providers when their own review states they are not fit for purpose does not stack up, particularly when significant funding for infrastructure improvements is available through state government infrastructure grants.
“Kindergarten is an essential service, best provided by the people who know and understand their community more than anyone else.
“Not a single member of City of Knox Council was elected with a mandate to withdraw from provision of council run kindergarten.
“Local families rightly expect that their local council will provide high quality early childhood education and care services in local kindergartens.
“Given the importance and value of these kindergarten programs, local governments should be expanding their early years services, not closing them,” she said.
City of Knox Council’s decision to move forward with the amended option 2 will not come into effect until January 2025.
Council-run kindergartens will continue to operate in 2024, offering 15 hours a week for three- and four-year-olds.
