First school on Newman Government hit list revealed Coorparoo Secondary School parent Shain Garvan and daughter Jade (grade 10). Picture: Jonathon Searle Source: The Courier-Mail THE first school on the Newman Government's "hit list" has been revealed, with a proposal to turn Coorparoo Secondary College into a campus of Brisbane State High School. The controversial school closure and amalgamation list is expected to be finalised within a fortnight. Parents today voiced their surprise at news of a proposal to turn Coorparoo Secondary College into a campus of State High. At school drop-off this morning, reaction among the community was mixed, with some parents telling of their disappointment, while others saying the amalgamation could be a positive change. Parent Jenny Day said the school's smaller size was a deciding factor in why she had enrolled her two children in Grade 8 and 10 this year. "I think the school is doing very well in its own," she said. And I'd prefer if it didn't happen. I like the school as it is, it's a small community school and I think that if it was under Brisbane State High School it would just get too big. Another parent, Shain Garvan, said he could understand the reasons behind the decision, but said it was frustrating how "they had just come out" with the proposal. "Jade has been going here for three years now and she's doing well," he said. Students arrive at Coorparoo Secondary School today. I'm personally tired of politicians thinking they can just do what they please. Father Scott Grant, 50, who has a daughter in Year 11, said he wasn't fazed by the proposal as he initially feared the school would be shut down altogether next year without an amalgamation. "It wouldn't bother me at all," he said. Another parent Wendi Jessop, from Coorparoo, was only worried what would happen to future enrolments. "I have another kid coming to high school in a year and a half, and I'm hoping to have them both at the same school," she said. I hope that we are still in the catchment. Kerri Phillips-Smith, 43, travels from Springwood so that her daughter Cienna can attend Year 9. She said they specifically didn't want her to go to a school with almost 2,400 students. How the State Government draws up its school hit list. As a member of the school's P&C committee, Ms Phillips-Smith said there has been a "small amount of discussion" about the proposal, and concerns had been raised. "We did express our concerns that that was not what we wanted to see happen," she said. I personally want Coorparoo to stand on its own. It would be a shame to see us bannered under one. Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek told State Parliament on Tuesday night the school closure list would have ``a lot less" than the 55 schools his department proposed last year. The Courier-Mail understands the number of closures will be less than a dozen. The Education Minister yesterday said there would be at least six months' consultation before any school was closed and that all principals and teachers would remain with Education Queensland. Are you a parent of children at these schools? Tell us what you think in the comments box below But he is hoping to reach a conclusion on the Coorparoo Secondary College (CSC) proposal by the end of next month, with any takeover planned for next year. Mr Langbroek said the CSC proposal, to be announced today, was about future-proofing the flagship Brisbane State High School (BSHS) while guaranteeing quality education in the area. BSHS has almost 2400 students - despite only having capacity for about 2150 - and that's before Year 7 joins in 2015. CSC has about 337 Year 8 to 12 students and is about 4km from BSHS. A ministerial brief published by The Courier-Mail last year warned BSHS might have to stop accepting students on merit entry because of its growing enrolments from within the catchment. Under the new plan, Mr Langbroek said all CSC students would be offered the opportunity to enrol in BSHS. ``There is no doubt that Brisbane State High is bursting at the seams and risks losing its capacity to accept selected entry students," he said. ``For some time, there have been discussions about how to accommodate future growth. ``I've had three options presented to me as possible sites for a second campus - Yeronga State High School, Balmoral State High School and Coorparoo Secondary College. A similar proposal was made to former education minister Cameron Dick but he did not sign off on a decision before the election was called. Mr Langbroek said after considering the location, catchment areas and excess capacity of the proposed alternative sites, CSC was the preferred option and it was a win-win for the community. ``If the community agrees with the proposal, there are a range of possible scenarios for the new Brisbane State High and all of these options will be considered," he said. ``We now have to go and listen to both school communities and evaluate any concerns. Mr Langbroek said Queensland needed 100 new schools over the next 10 years and he was committed to finding ways of providing students with state-of-the-art facilities. Principals of both schools are unavailable for interview today. But community consultation has already begun, with BSHS executive principal Wade Haynes telling parents on his school's website today that the consideration of CSC as a second campus is an important one. "As you may have seen in the media today, the Minister for Education, Training and Employment has announced that a community consultation process will commence in the coming weeks to explore options for the future of Coorparoo Secondary College," he writes. The Minister has indicated a preference to explore the option Coorparoo Secondary College becoming a campus of Brisbane State High School. The community consultation process provides an opportunity for both schools to examine this proposal and to make submissions for consideration. This is an important consideration for our school and I will work with our P&C to explore this proposal. The consultation process is open for the community to provide feedback or to make a submission to the consultation process and a dedicated email account has been established at Coorparooconsultation@dete.qld.gov.au for this purpose. Tanya Chilcott, Kate McKenna and Sarah Vogler