Funding cut may see 40 primary school teachers lose jobs
Fears as council presses ahead with savings plans:
FORTY primary school teachers may lose their jobs over the next four years if schools are forced to cut money from their budgets.
That’s the fear of teachers and councillors as Bridgend council presses ahead with money-saving plans.
The Labour-run authority’s cabinet has approved its latest budget much to the horror of those who have raised serious concerns over the planned 1% cut to school budgets.
The cross-party children and young people overview and scrutiny committee had unanimously recommended against the reduction in 2017-18, urging the council to find savings elsewhere.
Llangewydd Junior School head teacher and vice chairman of the School Budget Forum Neil Clode had told their last meeting that of the 22 local authorities in Wales, Bridgend were 21st when it came to the level of funding.
He said that to stand still the county’s 59 schools, 48 of which are primaries, could not have cuts imposed on them and the authority would have to meet inflationary costs.
He explained that 35 of the 48 primary schools in the county had spent over budget and survived on the goodwill of staff and grants.
Mr Clode said if the 1% cut was sustained for the next four years it would result in the loss of 40 teachers at primary school level alone.
Independent councillor Peter Foley, the chairman of the children and young people overview and scrutiny committee, said: “This is a cut which really bleeds, aimed at our children, the most vulnerable members of our community.
“It will mean larger class sizes, and redundancies for teachers and their classroom assistants.
“I know Westminster is to blame for cuts to local government budgets, but BCBC shouldn’t rush into burdening our cashstrapped schools still further.”
School budgets have been protected from cuts in recent years as the council has sought to make savings elsewhere.
But a budget report to cabinet last week said it is now believed that recent improvements in schools are sustainable and that while an efficiency saving of 1% will be imposed, the council will provide additional central funding to meet nationally-agreed pay awards and price inflation, so it believes the net impact of the 1% efficiency target and this extra funding means that schools budgets overall will see a very small increase.
The scrutiny committee however raised concerns about the extra costs which were now being piled on schools, many of which are in the red, including responsibility to pay for broadband and CRB checks.
Hannah Castle, head teacher of Cynffig Comprehensive and chairwoman of the School Budget Forum, told scrutiny members that the cuts were of “grave concern”.
The committee recommended that instead of asking schools to find 1% savings, the council axes the planned £400,000 community action fund designed for councillors to address issues such as potholes and also targets the budget titled Other Corporate Budgets for 2017-18, which has a proposed £6.1m set against it.
Opposition group leader councillor Cheryl Green, who is also a member of the scrutiny committee, said she believes that no member of the opposition will be able to support the budget when it goes before full council on March 1 due to the recommended 1% cut for schools.
“We in Bridgend have the highest (worst) teacher to pupil ratio in the primary sector in Wales, so this would have a devastating effect,” she said.
“The entire scrutiny committee was behind the recommendation against the cut, including the members of the Labour group, but they have totally disregarded this even when we pointed out in the budget where the money could be found.”
In response, a spokesman for Bridgend County Borough Council said: “The suggestion that teachers may lose their jobs does not take into account the fact that the council is also providing additional central funding so that schools can meet nationally agreed pay awards and price inflation.
“This extra funding means that school budgets will actually see a small rise in funding. Despite being asked to find a one per cent efficiency saving in line with our ‘One Council’ approach, they face the smallest budget reduction of any of our services in the 2017-18 budget and remain the council’s most protected area.
“However, it also needs to be recognised that budget and service reductions are inevitable all across the UK for as long as councils continue to receive less money and resources.”