Funding crisis could close busy Ballybofey school warns principal

A funding crisis could force a busy national school to close its doors.

Sessiaghoneill National School outside Ballybofey has been forced to borrow €20,000 for essential school operations and principal, Anne Marie Griffin has warned that unless the Department of Education helps, the school will have no option but to close.

The school caters to 205 pupils with a staff of eight class teachers, five special education needs teachers, one shared home school community liaison coordinator (HSCL), several special needs assistants, one cleaner, one caretaker and one secretary.

Ms Griffin traces the start of their crisis back to November 7 when the school enrolled 51 children who had come to them from the Direct Provision Centre in Dublin to the new International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) Finn Accommodation Centre situated above the SuperValu complex at Trusk Road, Ballybofey.

“They all settled into school well. I began looking to see what money was available to support them here at school but the Department of Education immediately said there was no funding available because the children were enrolled after September 30. That is the department’s cut-off point so whatever number you have enrolled at that stage is final. They don’t have any flexibility.”

Ms Griffin said adding 51 children was equivalent to a total population for many schools throughout the country and felt this refusal did not seem to take account of this. She explains that the school’s enrolment was already at 154 and it had received funding for that number but now it had 205 pupils to cater for and not enough money to do so.

“I can't spend money we receive for things like cleaning or school maintenance on a laptop for example. Grant money is very specific and very constrained. On top of all that we also had to deal with grant cuts for IT and Covid payments. It meant we had three extra classrooms to clean and heat and no funding to do this.

“We also had to get books and uniforms for everyone. The deputy principal, Genevieve Robb and I had to go around the charity shops to gather up what we could while families donated clothes to help. The Sessiaghoneill school community has been very good not to mention the emotional investment our staff have put in to make sure the new arrivals felt secure, wanted and part of our school community.”

She adds the arrival of children from 23 different nationalities also presented additional emotional challenges as some had already experienced much trauma in their lives to date.

“We had to deal with bigger class sizes as well as language, culture and customs issues but when we made our case to the department this did not seem to resonate with them. They pointed out we had received extra teachers but with increased numbers comes an increase in teachers anyway.

“All we have asked for is that the grants due for those children be topped up. We are not asking for anything above that or trying to make money, we just wanted to make sure we could provide for the welfare of the new arrivals as well as our own children who have been very accommodating and very welcoming at all stages.”

Ms Griffin says it has been a stressful time and admitted having to borrow from parish funds was the last thing she wanted to do.

“We just want a level playing field to be able to give the children the best opportunities possible to thrive and we are more than happy to face this challenge but it seems our hands are tied every way. When I went looking for help I was passed from one agency to the next and turned down by them all. I spent a day making calls and ended up back with the first person I phoned. There doesn’t seem to be any joined-up approach to situations like this. I was so frustrated when I realised there was no support and no answers. It felt like I was jumping through hoops all the time.

“We were in a deficit of €30,000 starting back at school in September. Normally we would have a prudent reserve of €35,000 starting off to help pay for things until the capitation grant comes in January. Luckily our parish had the money and parish priest Fr Patsy Arkinson was very supportive of our plight. However, we must pay this money back by the end of November to keep parish accounts right but at this moment in time I don’t know where we are going to get that.”

School closure

The principal said if the department does not come to their assistance the worst case scenario could be school closure.

“When the money we borrowed runs out the school will not be able to operate. We wonp’t have money to pay for electricity, heating, cleaner, caretaker and other ancillary services and that may mean possible closure.”

Ms Griffin said to date the school had only received support from one TD, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn but added they were open to support from anyone who might be able to help.

She pointed out that Sessiaghoneill National School was not unique.

“Another principal contacted me this week saying she had experienced similar funding problems but persistent e-mails to

Minister Norma Foley eventually resulted in extra cash for their school. I e-mailed the minister too but didn’t get the same response.

“This showed the money can be found and this precedent has been set so I can’t see why one part of the country can get it and another can’t.”

Ms Griffin said that the school received great support and guidance from the Catholic Primary School Management Association (CPSMA), the National Principals Forum (NPF) and the school’s board of management.

“I am a local, I went to school here myself and I love the community and the school where I work. I don’t want to have to highlight this but what choice do I have? We are being asked to do the impossible at a time when we are already doing all we can to save money. The sad reality is without top-up of these badly needed funds, everyone suffers.”