Opposition to projected staff cutbacks

EAST Clare councillors and parents in Killaloe have been urged to attend a public meeting in Killaloe Boys’ National School Hall this Thursday at 7pm to launch a campaign opposing a projected cutback of almost 50% in staffing numbers.
According to a statement issued to The Clare Champion, the existing staff of 14 – nine teachers and five special needs assistants – will be cut to 6.5 teachers and one SNA next September.
Deputy Michael McNamara has requested Education Minister, Ruairi Quinn to conduct a review of staffing in Killaloe BNS to address local concerns.
Since 2002, the school has had a teacher-pupil ratio of 1:20 in junior infants to second classes and 1:27 in third to sixth classes, thanks to the provision of a so-called “legacy” post. If the school loses a teacher, class sizes could possibly increase to a teacher-pupil ratio in excess of 1:30.
If the school loses this teaching post, it will also see a reduction of its allocation of learning support.
“The school building will not facilitate an increase in class sizes, as three of our classrooms are part of the old building and will not sustain extra furniture to accommodate 30 children. Statistics from our school engineer to confirm this.
“The school currently has four resource/learning support teachers. These teachers were appointed as special educational needs arose in our school over the years. We currently have one child’s case pending, which would allow the retention of all four resource/learning support teachers.
“ However, this case is pending due to stipulations in the National Council of Special Education (NCSE), who govern the allocation of hours.
“The school staff have compiled a comprehensive and convincing report to support our case. Utmost efforts are being made by staff in order to keep our current teaching and SNA staff. This report has been given to various local representatives and TDs in the hope of reversing these potential cuts,” the statement outlined.
It warned that reading recovery, which has been successful helping up to 50 pupils with reading, writing and language over the last seven years may have to stop due to staff cutbacks.

Decoupling proposal ‘counterproductive’

A NEW proposed Government cutback in primary education resources could actually cost the Exchequer more taxpayers’ money once it is introduced in Clare next September, a local teaching union leader has claimed.
The proposal to “decouple” the allocation of learning support and resource hours in over 70 Clare primary schools has been condemned as “ridiculous” and “counterproductive” by INTO national representative, Séan McMahon.
The Mullagh national school principal warned numerous schools in North, West and East Clare will become so-called “satellite” schools, as they will not have enough teaching support or resource hours to support a full-time resident teacher.
Under the existing arrangement, a teacher completing 15 hours of learning support and 10 hours of resource teaching could remain in a school, avoiding the need to travel to other schools.
Access to learning support is determined by the principal in consultation with the parents, with access to resources determined by a psychologist or other HSE professionals.
From next September, one job that exists in the school all day every day will be split into two jobs, both of whom in smaller schools of 50 or 60 children will be delivered from another school at a distance.
“The reality is schools near Ennis, Shannon and Clarecastle with over 15 hours will retain a teacher as they are the bigger schools. All other schools in North Clare, West Clare and East Clare will become satellite schools.
“Teachers will find themselves based in the large urban centre, travelling out on a daily basis to one or two or three satellite schools at serious cost to the Exchequer.
“In terms of the children it is just ridiculous. These teachers know parents and pupils and may have children in a family – one receiving learning support, the other receiving resource. Why do we have to break a system that is working?
“There will be no savings to the State, in fact there will be serious cost. The INTO fails to see any logic to this proposal. It was conjured up by someone who has no understanding whatever of reality at school level,” he said.
He urged Education Minister Ruairí Quinn to rethink the proposal and deliver support to the children and not in terms of a “bureaucratic dream that this in some way is more better or modern, which is not the case.”

Planned approach to overcrowding

A PILOT project examining a planned approach towards addressing overcrowding in urban primary schools and rural schools threatened with cutbacks could be implemented in Clare, according to a teaching union leader.
Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) general secretary, Sheila Nunan supports the introduction of a local or regional study examining new ways to address the changes in rural communities concerning primary schools.
“Clare has a good stock of schools, which have been refurbished. It would be great to see a regional impact and discussion with all the schools to get a better resolution. You can’t do that by putting a gun to the head of schools in December for a decision in September.
“It doesn’t make sense to refurbish a school and take a class away from it. Rural schools could be populated where urban schools can’t meet demand. It is not just simply a numbers solution,” she explained.
“It has to be looked at in a more planned way. The fear and anxiety has to be taken out of it. Putting a gun to their head in terms of numbers is not fair.
“The only approach is a very bald numbers one, which isn’t the best criteria for establishing whether communities’ education needs are being met.
“No one in the department or the patron side are looking at planning. This would go a long way to addressing this by maintaining the school at the heart of the community.”
Describing the mood at the INTO meeting on Monday night as “sombre”, she confirmed local teachers are extremely worried about the future of communities as they believe schools play a central role in their survival.
“Everyone is alert in Clare to the importance of a school in a local community. I was really impressed by the sincerity of teachers and their impassioned plea to the floor that schools have to hold on to resources. People said they were getting great support from their communities, which are rallying around local schools. Backbench deputies will see the impact these cuts are having.
“Parents see primary education as a critical foundation for their children. There is a great groundswell of opposition to education locally,” she added.
Commenting on proposed cuts in DEIS schools, she warned it is impossible to introduce cutbacks without having a negative impact on disadvantaged children in these educational facilities.