Catholic Education Sandhurst confirmed no merger between St Anne’s College and Notre Dame College is planned.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Catholic Education Sandhurst has dismissed rumours of a merger between St Anne’s College and Notre Dame College.
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In a statement, CES said there were no plans for the campus at St Anne’s College, Kialla to be taken over by Notre Dame College.
“No merger between the two colleges is being considered, and no changes to the governance, administration or operational structure of either school is being planned,” a CES spokesperson said.
The speculation came after St Anne’s College appointed new co-principal Jamie McDowall on September 7 until the end of 2026 to cover the planned long service leave of current principal Anthony Butts.
That followed a series of stories about financial issues at Catholic schools in Victoria in the face of rising costs, including a substantial increase in teacher salaries.
A number of people, some with links to the schools, contacted The News about concerns of a merger or changes to the schools’ administration.
CES also confirmed that Mr Butts would be returning to the school.
“Anthony Butts will be returning as principal of St Anne’s College in 2027,” the spokesperson said.
“As communicated to the St Anne’s community at the start of September, Jamie McDowall has been appointed co-principal of St Anne’s College in a short-term arrangement until the end of the 2026 school year, to provide additional leadership support and ensure a smooth transition while Anthony takes a period of planned long service leave.”
St Anne’s College, Kialla principal Anthony Butts will return to the school in 2027 from long-service leave.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
The clarification follows concerns being raised by members of the public and comes after Victorian Catholic schools across the region were told in August that cuts were on the way as they prepared for the upcoming teacher pay rise.
The News understands that all staff within Catholic schools have been offered voluntary redundancies — submissions as part of an “expression of interest” process were due last Wednesday, September 16.
Staff have reportedly not been told how many redundancies are required, or which staff will be affected — teaching, learning support or both.
The outcomes may not be known until weeks three or four of Term 4.
CES said schools were still working through planning and budgeting for 2027, with final decisions yet to be confirmed, as they factored in the 28.3 per cent teacher wage increase over the next four years.
“Careful work is under way to accommodate the upcoming enterprise bargaining agreement,” the spokesperson said.
“Learning support officer staffing is being reviewed in schools within the Sandhurst Diocese, including Greater Shepparton schools.”
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