Education Minister Jennifer Rankine defends ESL bill rises for schools while evacuating from Roma Mitchell Secondary Education Minister Jennifer Rankine had to defend huge rises in schools" Emergency Services Levy bills in the midst of an emergency evacuation of the high school she was touring Source: News Corp Australia EDUCATION Minister Jennifer Rankine had to defend huge rises in schools" Emergency Services Levy bills in the midst of an emergency evacuation of the high school she was touring on Thursday. Ms Rankine was about to visit some classes at Roma Mitchell Secondary School when smoke from a welding room triggered an emergency alarm that forced her and hundreds of students onto the school oval at about 11.20am. The incident came after The Advertiser revealed independent schools were considering cutting support staff, delaying upgrades and raising fees after copping average levy rises of 332 per cent. Ms Rankine, who was at the Gepps Cross school to talk about $20 million of Gonski funding flowing to SA public schools next year, was asked why private schools should pay higher levy bills now when the Federal Government's cuts to Gonski funding would not kick in until 2018. She said the levy money was needed now to compensate for federal health cuts, while the State Government was investing an extra $10 million in non-government schools next year. "We don't have any Liberals in this state standing up for the schools in their electorates," she said. Public schools such as Roma Mitchell do not pay the levy directly from their budgets. Instead, the cost is worn by the Education Department. Opposition Leader Steven Marshall visited Mile End private school St George College, which had a 323 per cent levy rise from $2012 to $8514. "A lot of low fee schools ... are going to really struggle to make up this difference," he said. The Weatherill Labor Government is putting its hand into pockets of hard working parents every time they pay a school fee or a sporting club fee or use a community facility. Originally published as School evacuated as Rankine defended ESL rise