Wimmera’s Rainbow P-12 gets $11m Budget windfall, 22 times more cash than it asked for

Alan Coffey has spent the past few weeks feeling very lucky indeed — but also a bit confused.

The principal of Rainbow P-12 College, four hours north-west of Melbourne, has no idea why the State Government just gave his school $11.162 million.

The Government committed the massive funding boost to the school in last month’s 2020-21 State Budget, despite the school only asking for $500,000 to cover maintenance expenses.

Mr Coffey said the unexpected windfall might be the single largest injection of funds into the town of just 683 residents in its history.

The funding represents the equivalent of more than $16,000 per resident, or $105,000…