School funding can’t be topped up by parents

THE dangers of further cuts to school staffing and budgets will be worsened by the inability of families to make up the shortfalls, a parents’ leader has warned.

Tommy Walshe, president of the National Parents Council-Post Primary (NPC-PP), made his comments at the launch of a joint submission to Education Minister Ruairi Quinn by a group representing second level parents, teachers, principals and boards of management.

A further cut to the number of teachers that can be appointed has been flagged as a likely element of Mr Quinn’s 2012 budget to be unveiled next week, in addition to staffing cuts imposed two years ago, with the potential to save €80 million of the annual teachers’ pay bill of €3.85 billion.