SCHOOL’S TEMPORARY HOME COSTS ALMOST €11,000 PER MONTH
GREYSTONES Rugby Club is being paid nearly €11,000 to host Greystones Community National School, it has emerged in the Dáil.
The new school building remains unoccupied as the State says that it has failed fire safety testing. The developer disputes that assertion and has had its own testing done recently which contradicts the government’s position.
The State has spent €386,234 to rent the lands for Greystones Community National School at the rugby club, with the monthly rent set at €10,833.
Deputy Jennifer Whitmore, formerly chair of the board of management of Greystones CNS, said following a parliamentary question on the subject: ‘It seems like an awful lot of money being spent on short-termism.
‘Covid shone a very public light on what parents, teachers and students have known for a very long time - that our classrooms and schools are stretched to capacity,’ said Deputy Whitmore. ‘Years of under-investment, and a reliance on short term, temporary accommodation measures such as portacabins, meant that some schools were in a very difficult position when it came to ensuring social distancing.
‘Rather than using unsuitable temporary accommodation, the Department should focus instead on providing new school builds when they are needed,’ said Deputy Whitmore. ‘Wasting considerable money on temporary solutions is not sustainable or appropriate for our students or the Government finances.’
Answering Ms Whitmore’s parliamentary question, Minister Norma Foley said: ‘Within the context of a rapidly increasing school population, my Department’s priority is to ensure that every child will have access to a physical school place.
‘It is sometimes necessary to make use of rented temporary accommodation in order to meet the accommodation needs of schools.’