Local councillor calls for financial support for struggling Offaly schools

Independent TD for Offaly Carol Nolan has called on Minister for Education Helen McEntee to commit to the provision of a financial support package that would enable schools to clear all or a portion of the operating debt they have accrued through no fault of their own.

Deputy Nolan was speaking after the issue of school debt featured strongly as an issue of major concern during the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) annual congress that took place over the weekend.

“I know for a fact, because I have made numerous representations on their behalf, that there are schools in Offaly who are operating under the most intense financial pressure, sometimes rising to €40,000 of debt. That is simply not sustainable,” said Deputy Nolan.

“We know that the core capitation grant for primary schools is €224 per pupil compared with €386 per student at post primary, but that kind of disparity is leading to all kinds of problems for school management and indeed for parents in terms of voluntary contributions.

"While there have been modest increases in the capitation grant in the last number of years, they are nothing compared to the level of increases that are actually required.

“I know from a survey carried out by the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association in April of last year that the vast majority of schools have seen their energy costs increased by over 35 per cent in the last two years, while insurance costs increased by 19 per cent over the same period. According to the CPSMA, this means that seven out of 10 primary schools have run at a deficit.

“No one is expecting a situation where there are always perfectly balanced account books.

“Schools will always acquire debt to some degree. But the levels of debt that are now being racked up are simply extraordinary and this is often related to just having the lights on and the heat on.

“Schools are not out there throwing lavish parties or acting imprudently. They are scrimping and cutting costs wherever they can but still the bills are mounting up due to energy or insurance costs.

“We need our schools to know that some kind of relief is on the table and that is where the Government and the Department must come in, to bring forward proposals that would give our schools some kind of financial breathing space.

“If we could bail out the banks when they racked up reckless levels of debt, they we can at least consider bailing out our schools who have acquired these debts through no fault of their own.

“Schools cannot continue to operate under this kind of pressure. It is draining them, in every sense of the word,” concluded Deputy Nolan.