The cuts announced in Perth and Kinross Council’s budget will lead to a cull of vital classroom assistants, the Conservative group’s education spokeswoman has claimed.
Councillor Barbara Vaughan accused the SNP-Liberal Democrat administration of attempting “to hide cuts in their budget that will make a big impact on the lives of families and children.”
Some £156,000 is to be cut from the budget for classroom assistants over the next year, resulting in a reduction in the number of posts available, though the council said it is keen to avoid compulsory redundancies.
The cuts were announced last week as Perth and Kinross Council set out a series of measures that will help it to save around £23 million over the next three years. Reductions have been made to support for parent councils, grounds maintenance and tourism support, while more money will be saved through the closure of some kids’ clubs, a reduction of street cleaning and reducing opening hours of libraries and museums and community campus access. Savings have also been made through efficiency measures, voluntary severance for 74 staff and not filling 232 vacant posts.
Council leader Ian Miller said the reduction in spending forced a position where “difficult decisions” had to be made, but he also said that “it could have been much worse.”
Some of the most controversial proposed savings, including reductions in budgets for winter maintenance, public toilets, community transport and school crossing patrols and the axeing of school breakfast clubs and free fruit for P1-2, were rejected as a step too far.ValuedHowever, Mrs Vaughan said there were other areas that ought to have gone similarly untouched. Mrs Vaughan, a former teacher who has had roles in the education sector with Tayside Regional and Perth and Kinross councils, said, “Classroom assistant posts will go. Classroom assistants are much valued by teachers, parents and pupils in schools and their role goes far beyond giving administrative support, as many parents will be well aware.
“These cuts are being made by an administration that places raising attainment for pupils as their highest education priority. Currently 20% of pupils leave primary school with less than the expected level in reading, more than 30% with less than the expected level in writing and over 20% with less than the expected level in mathematics.
“What hope is there for those not reaching the expected levels being able to deal effectively with a secondary programme?
“Foreign language assistants are also being sacrificed and this will adversely affect language learning in both primaries and secondaries.
“For younger children, the administration has decided to ‘rationalise’ spending on children’s play areas. The effect of this will be the closure of some play areas, the deterioration in equipment and the failure to replace equipment.
“I am sure parents and grandparents will draw their own conclusions on how this reflects on an administration that claims to be caring.”
Mrs Vaughan said the Conservative group had rejected such savings in its budget proposals.