School transport charges criticised

Changes to the school transport scheme criteria and the introduction of new charges means “an imposition on parents who are already overburdened”.
“Schools have just been notified of the introduction of charges for school transport from the commencement of the 2011/2012 school year, which is next September. Eligible primary pupils are described as those who live more than two miles from their school, are attending their nearest school and will be charged at a rate of €50 per pupil for school transport up to a family maximum of €110. Families with both primary and post-primary pupils will face a maximum charge of €650 per annum. Pupils with a valid medical card will be exempt from these charges,” explained Joe Killeen, INTO (Irish National Teachers Organisation) district representative for Galway and Roscommon.
“Pupils who live within two miles of their school or are not attending their nearest school will be required to pay an annual charge of €200 for a concessionary ticket to a family maximum of €650 per family with medical card holders not exempt,” he continued.
“There is also a change to the minimum number required to establish and retain a primary school transport service. From September, services with less than 10 eligible pupils will be withdrawn. Schools who have a bus service are required to make an application on behalf of new entrants who wish to avail of the school transport service next year,” the district representative on the Central Executive Committee of the INTO added.
The deadline for both is March 31.
“We have a bus to bring the children to the school and we depend on this because we are a rural school. Because the service has been there, we feel school attendance has been very high and that is down to the availability of transport. We feel the extra charge is an imposition on parents who are already overburdened with a lot of extra costs that weren’t imposed on them in the Celtic Tiger. The difficulty is that if we do not have 10 children who are eligible, we could lose our service. Then parents then will be faced with the prospect of driving their kids to school and many parents are working and have chosen the school because the service is there. It places an extra burden on the parents’ time as well as the financial burden,” the Lough Cultra principal explained.
While Mr Killeen acknowledges that these changes were outlined in the Budget, he says no deadline was indicated.
“The schools only received the letter on Monday and we have an opportunity to apply for new passengers, in other words, on behalf of new infants, and our deadline is March 31, which is 10 days away. Lots of schools wouldn’t have children enrolling until just before the summer holidays in May or June. Therefore, it is an impossibility for a lot of schools to have this information collated and forwarded to Bus Éireann by March 31,” he added. 
“I spoke to a school on Tuesday served by four large buses, who would have an average intake in infants of 35 pupils. The principal there said it was impossible to have the information by the deadline and that is in a large school. In small schools it is very difficult,” he went on.
Mr Killen called on Bus Éireann to allow more time for schools to complete the application process and further time to talk to parents of those pupils who are presently availing of the service. He called on Bus Éireann to reconsider the proposed charging for a service that was heretofore free of charge and which provided an essential, valuable service to the school-going population of rural Ireland. 
In light of an ongoing Government review of small primary schools, Mr Killeen contended that they give value for money.
Friday was the deadline for submissions on the Department of Education and Skills Small Primary Schools Value for Money Review. The review was set up to examine the cost effectiveness of the nearly 600 schools with less than 50 pupils in Ireland. Lough Cultra National School has 60 pupils.
“The review, which is examining the schools, has been appointed on the basis of the proposition mooted by the McCarthy Report to amalgamate or close a number of schools.  McCarthy suggested the amalgamation of schools with less than 100 pupils. This review referred to schools with less than 50 pupils,” said Mr Killeen. 
“Following on from a number of discussion group meetings, I can attest to the strongly held view that small schools do give real, quantifiable value for money. These countywide meetings have been held in both counties, with a very high percentage of the 74 Galway schools, those who have 50 pupils or under, participating,” he added.
“Following these meetings, I can say that the prevailing sentiment is that the rural schools must be maintained. They are the heart and soul of the parish and in many instances the defining characteristic of what is the parish community,” Mr Killeen continued.
The schools that cater for fewer than 50 pupils are all staffed by one or two teachers and are primarily located in rural areas.
“The picturesque and well-appointed school at Mantua near Strokestown was featured on ITAL RTÉ News showing the work of a one-teacher school. There are less than a dozen one-teacher schools throughout the country, with many on islands off the coast. This review could suggest the closure and amalgamation of some one-teacher schools. The worry for parents and teachers is that it may be suggested by the review body that other small two-teacher schools would follow the same path of closure and amalgamation,” Mr Killeen stated.
Other community groups and rural organisations are thought to have made submissions to the department after it invited anyone with links to these small schools to get in touch with it.
The INTO has stressed the quality of education given to children in small schools as well as the intensely positive effects of the small school on the community in general.
The review group will examine the submissions before making recommendations later in the year.