BUDGET 2015 - How the budget impacts the education sector.

Posted by Sally O'Brien, on 14/10/2014. BUDGET 2015 - How the budget impacts the education sector.

Tags: Education And Politics Teachers Parenting

Here is a summary of Budget 2015 released today as it impacts on the Education Sector:

Summary:

Next year will see more than 1,700 additional new education full time posts. 920 mainstream teachers, 480* resource teachers and 365 SNAs.

No increases in class sizes. There will be no reduction in the numbers of teachers or SNAs.

Allocating €8.3 billion to Education for current expenditure in 2015.

Allocating €530 million to Education for capital expenditure.

Public service employment: Hiring to begin immediately and in 2015 to include teachers and Gardai.

Press release from Dept of Education:

An additional €60m will be invested in the education budget (current) compared to the allocation for 2014 to meet growing numbers of children starting school. This funding will help provide for 900 new classroom teachers, 480 new resource teachers and 365 new Special Needs Assistant posts.
According to Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan, TD, “My priority in this budget was to secure additional funding to maintain class sizes and ensure that the education system can recruit more permanent teachers.

1,700 new teachers and SNAs are provided for in this Budget and these additional posts will ensure that we can provide the expanding numbers of children at school with the education they deserve.”
The Minister also highlighted funding dedicated to continuing the reform agenda in education with the following investments being made in 2015:

Literacy and numeracy strategy €6m additional on 2014 investment, bringing the annual budget to €13.8m

Junior cycle reform €5m additional on 2014 investment, bringing the annual budget to €9.3m

Music Generation €1m

High Speed Broadband €3m

New pre-school inspectors €0.6m
Minister O’Sullivan:
“I am particularly pleased that this Budget will allow for the immediate recruitment of a new team of early childhood education inspectors. The new team will work with the early childhood sector to promote and enhance good educational practice. This initiative is being launched in partnership with the Minister for Children, Dr. James Reilly and I appreciate his support for this reforming measure.”

€5m will be invested in capital funding as part of the planned three year €15m investment to extend book rental schemes to cover all primary schools, resulting in lower back to school costs for families.
Minister O’Sullivan also announced that she is restoring €25m in funding to the Higher Education Institutions which had to be withheld for the past two years.

Three major capital projects in Irish universities will benefit from €20m of funding in 2015. These are a major library project at the University of Limerick (€10m), a new Human Biology Building at NUI Galway (€7m) and construction of the Confucius Institute at University College, Dublin (€3m).

€10m will be invested in 2015 to improve the facilities and equipment available to students in the Institutes of Technology.
The coming year will also see the implementation of the final phase of three previously announced savings initiatives - the €250 increase in the student contribution, the final 1% reduction in pay and non-pay funding for third level sector and a planned 1% reduction in capitation payments in schools and further education.”

*(Of the 365 new SNA posts 145 will be in place by the end of 2014 and 220 posts will follow in 2015)
Read Press statement from MerrionStreet.ie
Read Press release from Dept of Education

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SchoolDays

(14-10-2014 16:30)

ASTI Press Release on todays budget and impact on the Education Sector

October 14th 2014

Government must do more to protect education

Todays Budget announcement will do nothing to prevent the ongoing damage to second-level schools and to students education caused by years of education cuts, the ASTI said today.

While todays Budget contains no new education cuts, the Government must do more to protect education. The Government is not increasing the average amount spent on each student, said ASTI President Philip Irwin. More than 20 separate education cuts implemented since 2009 continue to impact on second-level schools, students and teachers. Previously announced cuts such as the reduced funding to schools and the moratorium on posts of responsibility will be implemented again next year and will make day-to-day life even more difficult for school communities. In addition this Budget does nothing to make up for the lost ground suffered by schools over the past five years.

The ASTI President added that education cuts over the last five years have included the withdrawal of subject teachers, guidance counsellors, specialist teachers and in-school management posts. As a result of these cuts schools have lost teachers and vital services for young people have been withdrawn or curtailed, said Mr Irwin.

ASTI General Secretary Pat King pointed out that todays announcement of additional teachers at second-level will only keep pace with the significant increase in the number of students entering schools next year. He also said that a further cut of one per cent to funding for second-level schools in 2015 means schools will experience a 6 per cent drop in funding since 2012.

As a result of the cut to the pupil-teacher ratio in 2009, and the abolition of the ex-quota guidance counsellor allocation in 2012, Ireland now has the 6th worst pupil-teacher ratio out of 31 OECD countries. What this means is overcrowded classes and diminished learning opportunities for every student. This Budget does nothing to address the pupil-teacher ratio or class size. Students will not be getting additional teachers.

How can Ireland build a first-class economy and achieve sustainable recovery if we are heading towards the bottom of the class when it comes to the most important resource in education teacher numbers.