13th November- More taxes - property, water and now...primary schools
- Published: 13 November 2014
A survey of 500 primary schools carried out last week by the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN), revealed that many schools have no funds to meet the cost of the next oil fill or insurance premium.
Emergency fundraising, voluntary contributions from parents and once off loans from parishes are enabling some schools to survive until January 2015 when the first tranche of state funding arrives in schools. Over 85% of schools report that, in comparison with this time last year, they are worse off financially and struggling to pay school bills.
The survey reports that in the absence of adequate funding, core services such as secretarial, cleaning and caretaking have been further reduced and in some cases these functions are carried out by teaching staff. IT infrastructure is not maintained and literacy, numeracy and self evaluation strategies are starved of funds. A number of schools reported that Parent Associations are paying the heating bills.
The two most important funding streams for primary schools were either cut or abolished in this year’s budget without a word of protest from public representatives. The first of these, the Capitation Grant ensures schools have enough money to heat, light and insure the building and school grounds. The second, the Minor Works grant, funds minor building repairs. These two vital grants were targeted in Octobers “end of austerity” budget.
Capitation grants have been cut from just over €200 per pupil in 2010, to €173 in 2014, while the Minor Works Grant has been totally withdrawn. Schools, like any other buildings, require upkeep, without which they will eventually fall in to disrepair. This is particularly ironic given that we have spent millions of euro in recent years building new schools. There is no logic in starving existing schools of funds required for ongoing building maintenance.
Parents must now pick up the tab and engage in priority fundraising. According to the survey, 50% of schools request a ‘voluntary’ contribution from parents and up to 90% are involved in continuous fundraising activities.
IPPN President, Mr Brendan McCabe stated, ‘In a memo from the Department of Education and Skills to brief Minister Jan O’ Sullivan late this summer, senior DES officials made specific mention to the funding crisis in schools. Given that this internal memo drew attention to the same issues that principals have been saying for several years now, it is extremely disappointing that the Department of Finance and Public Expenditure failed to act on its recommendations’.
IPPN CEO, Seán Cottrell stated, ‘It is a disgrace that parents, having earned salary and paid taxes, are then depended upon to subsidise the running costs of their local primary school in the form of so called ‘voluntary’ contributions in order to prop up a grossly underfunded education system. This is nothing other than a further form of taxation. Investment in primary education is a measure of how society cares for its people and their economic prosperity. Spending on education should not be seen as a cost but rather an investment’.
