Severe strain on school funds – Cllr Smith

Fianna Fáil Councillor Áine Smith has warned that primary schools across Cavan are facing “serious and growing financial pressures”.

She brought a motion before Cavan County Council calling for urgent action by the Minister for Education following ongoing engagement and conversations with primary school principals in my local area, who themselves highlighted the plight at present. Speaking at the January monthly meeting of Cavan County Council, Cllr Smith said principals have consistently raised concerns about the inadequacy of current capitation funding, particularly in the context of sharply increased costs in recent years.

“Energy, electricity and heating costs have risen significantly, with light and heat now accounting for, on average, approximately half of a school’s capitation allocation,” she told the recent meeting. “In addition, insurance costs have increased to the extent that they now represent between 31% and 50% of capitation funding in many schools, placing an unsustainable burden on already stretched budgets.” Cllr Smith said the situation is particularly acute for smaller schools, especially those with fewer than 60 pupils - most of which are in rural areas.

The councillor also highlighted serious concerns around ancillary funding, noting that some schools received no ancillary grant after funding was absorbed following the transfer of secretarial pay to the Department of Education.

“As a result, schools are struggling to fund basic services such as cleaning, forcing principals to reduce cleaning hours significantly,” she said. “Teaching and learning resources are also being affected, with many principals reporting that essential educational materials have become unaffordable.”

Cllr Smith said principals have repeatedly raised the difficulty of planning and budgeting due to uncertainty around grants. “The timing and lack of clarity around grant payments, including the Minor Works Grant being issued as an advance for a future school year, makes it extremely challenging for schools- particularly older buildings with ongoing maintenance issues - to manage their finances responsibly,” she said.

While acknowledging that principals are grateful for supports, she warned that ongoing cost-of-living increases are impacting.

“Schools should not be forced to rely on constant fundraising by parents simply to meet basic operational costs, nor should school leadership be placed under such strain,” she said.

He motion was supported by Fine Gael’s Trevor Smith, and also backed by Sinn Féin’s Damien Brady.