Christine Van Der Plas has started a petition calling on the state government to reopen the disused Collins Avenue building.

"This way our children could still get a good education with all the trimmings of a private school," the petition reads.

Eastona Park and Hobsons Bay primary schools have merged to become Newport Gardens Primary School, in Maddox Road, Newport.

Ms Van Der Plas said she could not afford to send her grade 6 daughter to a private school next year.

"Girls actually learn differently than boys, and all her friends are going to Mount StJo's.

"I can't afford Mount StJosephs or Our Lady's College. And a lot of co-ed schools don't go up to year 12. If they get used to going to one school from year 7 to year 12, they're less likely to give up," she said.

The absence of a secondary school going up to year 12 in Altona became a hot issue during this year's Altona byelection.

Ms Van Der Plas said the closest government girls' school was Gilmore Girls College at Footscray.

"If you want a girls' school, the Catholics or the Christians have a monopoly on it. There's very few government girls' schools."

Supporter Maureen Turnbull said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's stimulus package could be used to open another school in the area.

"They're closing too many schools when they should be leaving them open," she said.

State Williamstown MP Wade Noonan said the Collins Avenue school building would first be offered to government departments. The school site was being temporarily used by regional staff of the Department of Education until the middle of the year after which a decision would be made as to whether the site was needed, he said. "Any land surplus to the department's educational needs will first be offered to other government departments then the local council before being offered for public sale."

The petition is available for signing at the Newport Baptist Church in Mason Street from 9am-5pm, Wednesday to Friday.