Fife teaching staff have been left “disheartened and completely baffled” by proposed education cuts.
EIS publicity officer David Farmer said secondary teachers have been informed of a £1.288 million cut to school budgets which will impact directly on promoted staff.
Meanwhile an anonymous staff member, who said they were disheartened and baffled, claimed: “Fife Council are pushing the limits of hard working teachers.”
Mr Farmer added: “Fife EIS is opposed to this cut as we are opposed to all cuts in education.
“While a handful of secondary schools will see a modest increase the vast majority will see a substantial cut.
“Staff should hear from headteachers the proposals that they have drawn up to put these cuts into operation.
“Between now and the summer holiday Fife EIS expects…dialogue between management and trade unions as to where cuts have been proposed.”
He said the union understood the education service would start a formal exercise.
“We want to re-assure our members that we are committed to supporting them in both informal and formal discussions as we recognise this will be an anxious time for members who are impacted by this,” Mr Farmer added.
Against a backdrop of the EIS’s campaign for a 10% pay award, he added: “The concern of Fife EIS is that this could show an unwillingness on the part of Fife Council to recognise the efforts being made in schools.”
Meanwhile, a teacher said the savings would come directly from teaching staff, rather than admin or pupil support with secondary schools “restructured and stretched to the maximum”.
The whistleblower added that over the coming two years there would be no opportunity to enter into a promoted post.
“Unions are fighting for opportunities for career progression,” they said.
“Fife Council have squashed this today.”
But head of education and children’s services, Shelagh McLean, refuted that claim.
Stressing the quality of teaching and learning was fundamental to its ambitions for young people, she added: “Next session we will be considering, with teaching staff and unions, new ways to ensure that each school has a fair allocation of budget according to its size and to give more discretion to head teachers to use their staffing budget to best suit their school.
“When there are formal proposals, we will follow all the usual consultation procedures.
“There is no suggestion that there will be no new permanent posts or opportunities for career progression.
“We have an excellent professional learning and leadership development programme across Fife, and this will continue.”
She said the council was facing budget challenges and would make savings over time.
