Bylong Upper Public School has been placed into recess by the Department of Education and Communities following a formal decision made at the end of the 2014 school year.
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When a school is in recess it hasn’t been completely closed but the principal is withdrawn and its future and feasibility is investigated.
The school building will continue to be maintained while it is in recess.
A Department spokesperson said the decision was made because Bylong Upper Public School had enrolments of less than ten students since 2009 and six students in mid-November last year.
Anticipated enrolments for 2015 and 2016 are zero.
The local community has been consulted about the future of the school and this consultation process will continue, the Department said.
The use of the school’s resources will be offered to schools in neighbouring areas.
Bylong farmer Craig Shaw said the dwindling enrolment numbers and subsequent decision to put the school into recess was a knock-on effect of properties being bought for mining exploration leases and the former residents moving away from the area.
“I have no faith that the Bylong school will re-open,” he said.
“This is a bit of a death spiral.
“We’ve seen the Bylong Mouse Races disappear after 25 years, we’ve seen the last remaining horse stud go and a chunk of Bylong removed from the equine industry cluster,” he said.
“All of these things follow the same pattern and it’s all because the properties are being bought up. In a parallel universe somewhere, Bylong is going gangbusters.”
