Labour has been accused of leaving a “trail of disaster” in the growing row over potential cuts to the school day in Fife.
SNP councillor Bill Brown has asked for more clarity and scrutiny around the proposals.
“Again, there is no leadership from this incompetent Labour administration and as with a whole range of issues, such as their school closure programme, they leave a trail of disaster behind them with communities and families across Fife left to pick up the pieces,” he said.
Mr Brown said the proposals “have come from absolutely nowhere” and queried the role of Policy Advisory Groups, adding: “As the PAGs are not minuted and none of their work is put into the public domain, it’s difficult to see where these proposals have been discussed in the council.”
He claimed the 25 SNP councillors received a very sketchy briefing on the proposals on the same day as the first public meeting.
“Given the enormity of what is being proposed, for the Labour administration to dump these ideas on the people of Fife just leaves me speechless.
“People must be wondering if these proposals are a genuine attempt to improve education or just another Labour cut to education in Fife.”
Education spokesman Bryan Poole said the education directorate was talking to parents about meeting rising expectations amid a time of severe budget pressures.
“Each of the ideas under consideration are designed to bring about improvements for all school pupils in Fife,” he said.
“Irrespective of the budget challenges Fife Council faces and they are significant the ideas being discussed with parents are worthy of serious consideration because of the educational benefits they will lead to.
“I would make this plea to Mr Brown and his SNP colleagues: take off your ‘opposition-for-opposition’s-sake hat’ and give careful and reasonable consideration to the ideas under consideration.”
Council leader David Ross said the criticisms from Bill Brown are strange but not unexpected.
“It seems the SNP would prefer to resort to name-calling rather than take part in serious discussion around these and other very important proposals,” he said.
Mr Ross said it is bizarre the council is being criticised for engaging with those affected before decisions are taken and the proposals are being looked at “first and foremost” based on “educational benefit”.
He added: “That is why this engagement with parents, pupils and teachers is being organised quite separately from the council’s main consultation on its budget.
“We have taken account of these possible savings in our draft budget but if it is finally decided not to proceed with them, then we will look for alternative savings elsewhere.”
He said director of education Craig Munro met the SNP group of councillors to explain these proposals to them. “Perhaps Bill Brown wasn’t able to attend that meeting or he would know how and why this wider engagement with parents, pupils and teachers is now taking place.”