Union says principals could be owed €1.6m

HUNDREDS of second-level principals may be owed up to €1.6 million because of a dispute over payment for running a schools supervision scheme, their union has claimed.

In the 400 religious-run secondary schools and more than 90 community and comprehensive schools, 5% of the budget for the scheme is divided between the staff who administer it - usually the principal or their deputy and a secretary. But the money has not been paid to most of the 240 schools run by Vocational Education Committees for the last four years.

The annual payment for a 400-student vocational school or community college is around €1,900. But because these also receive administrative support from their city or county VEC, there is disagreement about how the money should be divided after being paid to the VEC by the Department of Education.

Martin Wallace, president of the Principals and Deputy Principals Association (PDA) which represents vocational sector staff, said anger among members is growing.

At the PDA’s annual conference, he said: “The money isn’t the major issue but our members legitimately feel they are being discriminated against. It’s the principle of equality across all sectors that is crucial in this matter.”

The dilemma facing VECs is that the IMPACT union has also lodged a claim on the administration funding on behalf of head office staff.

Michael Moriarty, general secretary of the Irish Vocational Education Association which represents the VECs, acknowledged the role of principals but said the scheme could not operate without VEC staff’s help.