But he does not think the school is quite over the line yet.
Education Minister Peter Collier last week announced that $1.25 million pledged in pre-election commitments would be available to the campus, after it was allocated just $750,000 in the next two budgets.
‘We received a letter from the minister which is positive in the sense that it now appears to say that the $1.25 million originally promised is available ” the key now is going to be just how the project translates,’ Mr Jenkin said.
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READ NOW‘Our original idea was an undercover area with a performance space, including a stage and music room and so forth, which got hacked out when the $500,000 disappeared.
‘The letter says: ‘Your local member had told me that you’d like to have that performance space and we’ll endeavour to see whether that can be provided within the context of the monies available’.’
Perth MLA Eleni Evangel, who helped reinstate the original funding, said the money would go towards building an extended undercover space, including a performance area and moveable stage, and resurfaced bitumen areas, including a car park, two basketball courts, four tennis courts/quadrangle and pathways and driveways.
Mr Jenkin said the performance space was vital for the PS as it was ‘a lighthouse school in terms of the performing arts’.
‘Our school has a 70-piece band, an 80-member choir, a 30-piece orchestra and 110 students enrolled in the School of Instrumental Music program,’ he said.
‘They are big numbers and for that reason this is really, really important.
‘We’ve also got kids coming from surrounding schools to be part of our orchestra and we put kids into the SVAPA (Special, Visual and Performing Arts) program, so we have a huge input into performing arts in our school.’