High school student Natasha Smith thought the worst was behind her when her school, Mowbray College, shut down, burdened by debts, halfway through her Year Nine.
Her parents, Jeff and Janine Smith, chose to transfer their daughter to Macedon Grammar, because they liked its tight-knit family oriented community. And now, as Natasha finishes Year 11, the 16-year-old fears she will have to find another school to complete her education.
Macedon Grammar has until December 15 to demonstrate its viability or face closure, leaving 150 primary and secondary students scrambling for places in nearby schools.
The independent Christian school was issued a "show cause" notice by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority, after concerns were raised about the school's governance, financial health and declining enrolment.
"It feels horrible," the schoolgirl said. "Quite honestly. It was very traumatic and heartbreaking to go through it at Mowbray, to have it happen again would be awful."
Natasha's father, Jeff Smith, said the timing could not be worse as the 16-year-old was halfway through her International Baccalaureate.
The nearest school to offer the internationally-recognised qualification is in Kilmore, a 45-minute drive from her home in Gisborne.
But Mr Smith said he didn't believe Macedon Grammar suffered the same financial mismanagement as Mowbray College.
Mr Smith said while a "vocal minority" felt the Macedon Grammar administration was failing them, he was among a majority of parents throwing support behind the school.
The state government introduced legislation in August for the VRQA to force schools to create protection schemes for fees already paid by parents, but it was not debated in parliament before the caretaker period commenced ahead of the election.
Parents at Macedon Grammar pay fees of between $5000 and $10,000 a student.
The Labor candidate for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas, said Macedon Grammar's trouble was "more evidence" of the government's failure to act to prevent independent schools from collapse.
"Parents in Macedon, whether of students at Macedon Grammar or other schools, have been let down by Denis Napthine," she said.
But Liberal MP Donna Petrovich said the welfare of the students and the school community was her "primary concern".
"If I am elected, I will do everything I can to ensure no student is disadvantaged," she said.
Ms Smith said the premature talk of closure was causing unnecessary stress for the students.
"It's been very upsetting; we don't know much of what's going on ... but I shouldn't know what's going on with the finances - that's for the administration, not for me," she said.
