Dramatic Cut in School Budget - 15/10/07

Two Carmarthesnshire schools are to have massive cuts in their budgets. The Independent/Labour controlled Carmarthenshire County Council has refused to re consider the funding formula for  two federated schools within the County – Ysgol y Fro (Llangyndeyrn, Llansaint and Idole) and Carreg Hirfaen (Cwmann, Ffald y Brenin and Farmers). In the case of Ysgol Y Fro it means a budget cut to almost half, from £300.000 in 2007 to £163.334  in 2010 and  from £429,299 to £341.056 for Ysgol Carreg Hirfaen.

Plaid Cymru Deputy Leader  Peter Hughes Griffiths at the full Council meeting on the 12th  of September  requested,  and it was agreed for education officers and the Executive Board member o meet with governors of  both schools to work out a new formula where both federated schools would not be losing out as part of the new funding scheme for all Primary schools within the county. Cllr Griffiths said:

"I wanted the two schools to have at least the same funding as they have at present. I was given an assurance at the meeting of the 12th that discussions would take place with the schools involved, but it transpires that the Executive Board had already made its decision on the 3rd of September and that discussions  will be nothing more than  how to implement the new policy and how to run both schools with less cash."

"This must mean that the Council is abandoning the idea of federated schools completely. Its totally immoral for the council to reduce the budget of a school like this. No commercial business could survive  such a reduction in income. How on earth does the Director of Education expect a school to survive in circumstances like this? Its a policy of closure by a thousand cuts."