By Gary Cooper

CAMPAIGNERS battling to save Eassie Primary School are urging locals to make their feelings known to councillors and officials at a public meeting tonight.

There is anger at the closure spotlight being turned on the school for the second time in three years.

The meeting—which is being held in the school from 7pm—is part of consultation on shutting Eassie and merging it with Newtyle.

The gathering comes as the Eassie school community steps up its efforts to keep the doors open, turning to the information superhighway to get its message across.

A campaign website has been created, criticising the council and putting forward reasons why the school should remain open.

Parents’ spokesman Gavin Durston said yesterday, “The overwhelming mood of the community is for the school to stay open, but we need to get that across to the council.

“It is vital that we get a good turn-out for the meeting, and to show the council that closure is not an option.

“We went through this three years ago, and people can’t believe the council is coming for us again.”

The parent council chairman said campaigners were assembling information which highlights inaccuracies in a report by the council spelling out why the school should close.

Mr Durston accused the authority of skewing details to favour closure.

“The report that went before councillors was very biased, and information we have collated so far proves that,” he claimed.

In the report before councillors, the condition of the Eassie building was classed as C on a scale of A-D, where A is best and D is in need of urgent repair.

However, campaigners claim the school’s condition has been assessed as B, “but the education department have as yet not published this report, despite repeated requests.”

Mr Durston also disputed allegations that school rolls were falling in the area.

“Using Angus Council’s own figures for the Kirriemuir cluster of primaries, any fall is in the urban schools,” he said.

“The population of rural school children in the Kirrie cluster is rising by 4%.

“The figures the director is using are about four years out of date.

“For next year’s session there are a potential 18 pupils for Eassie, and we’ve been told by parents from outwith the catchment that they would put their children to the school if it wasn’t for this continued threat,” he said.

“All we want is for the councillors to have the whole truth in front of them.

“We don’t agree with going to consultation, but we want them to be aware of the full facts,” he said.

The meeting comes as Kirriemuir and Dean councillor Iain Gaul revealed that he has written to Labour MSPs Norman and Claire Baker, asking them to meet their Angus Council party counterparts to discuss the Eassie closure.

Mr Gaul said only last week Mr Baker commented on the decision of Aberdeen City Council to close six primary schools.

He explained Angus Labour councillors Peter Murphy and Margaret Thomson, part of the ruling alliance, had voted to go down the closure route for Eassie Primary.

Given the slim majority on the council, the pair had the power to change the alliance’s decision.

“Parents and the rest of the Eassie community are extremely angry that the Angus alliance are threatening to close their school,” Mr Gaul said.

“I call on Mr and Mrs Baker to make strong representations to their Labour colleagues, given their strong thoughts on other closure-hit schools.”