Bree asks Education Minister to stall funding plan and talk to disability advocacy organisations

COUNCILLORS have agreed to ask that a plan by the Minister for Education to bring in a proposal that would impact the funding allocation which schools with children identified as having additional educational needs should be stalled until those impacted are consulted.

Cllr Declan Bree, seeking support for a call by Sligo County Counciil to the minister to delay the plan, says the country’s three leading disability advocacy organisations, AsIAm, Down Syndrome Ireland and Inclusion Ireland have all raised concerns about the proposed change in allocations.

The lack of consultation with those most affected has also caused a huge degree of uncertainty and anxiety, he said this week.

Cllr Bree, speaking at Monday’s meeting of the Borough of Sligo and Strandhill municipal district said from September 2024, the funding allocation which schools receive will no longer be based on the number of children with identified complex needs enrolled in a school. Currently, this number accounts for 50% of the frontloaded allocation.

“In the circular it is proposed that the category “complex educational needs” be removed as a criterion for allocating Special Education Teacher hours.

“The proposed change could have a potentially devastating effect on many pupils and their educational attainment.

“It must also be pointed out that these proposed changes were made without any consultation with parents or disability stakeholders, in clear breach of Ireland’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

“The proposed changes have caused acute concern and unease among many parents.

“In the absence of any definitive public clarification from the Department on the exclusion of complex needs from the criteria, many parents fear that their children will not have access to the supports or the educational setting they need to thrive,” he said.

His motion was unanimously agreed by members: “That this Council, aware of the concerns of Down Syndrome Ireland, AsIAm and Inclusion Ireland, requests the Minister for Education not to implement the proposals contained in Circular 0002/24 (The Special Education Teacher (SET) allocation model and the calculation of the SET allocation for each school from the 2024/25 school year until further notice) until meaningful consultation takes place for those most affected by the proposals in the circular – students with additional educational needs, and their families.”