Low key ressponse to Quinn u-turn on disadvantaged schools

Local disappointment has followed an announcement by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn on Tuesday regarding DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) school posts and an appeal mechanism for small primary schools regarding staffing levels. The announcement sees 235 of the 428 DEIS posts that were to be withdrawn retained and allows small schools due to lose a teacher under new pupil-teacher ratios put in place to appeal. To make up for the costs incurred by the retention of DEIS posts however capitation funding is to now be reduced by 3.5% instead of the original 2% planned for 2012, bring payments per student down to €178. Cllr John Leahy, who arranged a meeting protesting against cuts at both small and DEIS schools recently, said yesterday rural schools are still being hit, while capitation reductions mean "every school has to suffer now". The councillor said he is bewildered why the least amount of money is spent on primary level education and encouraged any small schools in the county looking at losing teachers or even closing to get in touch. Meanwhile secretary of the Birr Banagher INTO (Irish National Teachers' Organisation) branch and teacher at Rath NS Jonathan Dunne said he's disappointed the pupil-teacher ratio introduced in the last budget that's due to take effect next September wasn't looked at again in the wake of protest meetings in Tullamore and other locations across the country. "We would have thought that as a follow up to the meeting in Tullamore and others around the country that they would have got the message that this is a rural issue, that areas are in danger of losing their school or teachers in their schools over the next few years," he said. "He has talked about an appeals process but that's totally inadequate. He's really done nothing practical." Offaly has 65 primary schools. Thirty five of these schools have a teaching staff of four or fewer teachers and are therefore at risk of losing a teacher when budget changes come into effect next September, and Mr Dunne said people on the ground are angry. "Primary education is totally underfunded as it stands," he said. "To put a further decrease in capitation in schools that are cash-strapped as it is...we find it unacceptable."