Budget 2025: ‘What we get at the moment does not cover our bills,’ Cork principal says

Siobhán Buckley is the principal of the Presentation Primary School in Millstreet and what stresses her most is how to pay the electricity, oil, and insurance bills at the North Cork school, the teacher told The Echo this week, in advance of the budget announcements next week.

Ms Buckley, who is the North Cork and Cork City North delegate to the Central Council of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, cited the lack of funding for schools to meet their rising bills and keep the lights on, maintain heat in winter, and pay for insurance. It is a constant worry, she said, and that one of the INTO’s key asks, in its pre-budget submission, was increased payments to meet these bills.

“Our electricity bill for 2023 was €17,000 and insurance cost another €10,000. What we get at the moment does not cover our bills,” Ms Buckley said.

Another key demand from the INTO is a reduction in class sizes. “We’re still above the EU average,” said Ms Buckley.

“Who this is likely to impact is the child in the middle: The very bright child will make progress in spite of you while the child who has special needs will get extra support.”

The INTO is also looking for the restoration of posts of responsibility within schools, which would enable teachers to assume additional responsibilities.

This would lead, in the future, to some of these people putting themselves forward for posts as principals or deputy principals, positions which are seen as burdensome at present.

A more structured path towards these positions is seen as essential by the organisation.

In its pre-budget submission, Social Justice Ireland (SJI) also talks about reducing class sizes to below 20 and says there should be a focus on primary level and DEIS schools, schools that are included in the Department of Education’s main policy initiative to respond to disadvantage.

Among the other measures being proposed by SJI are a call to invest €100m to increase the provision of school places for students with special educational needs in both mainstream and special schools; €15m to support the expansion of the DEIS programme; the restoration of the Back to School clothing and footwear allowance to 2011 levels; increased funding for the School Meals Programme; increased capitation grants and, at third level, an increase of €1,000 in the maintenance grant for full-time students.

A survey carried out recently for the UCC students’ union found that 28% of participants — there were 3,000 respondents — admitted going to lectures hungry, while 26% had reduced their expenditure on heating.

According to UCC Students’ Union president, Katie Halpin-Hill, the survey “captured the reality of what it meant to be a student today”.

“It demonstrates the extent of student poverty, and the highlights the most prevalent challenges facing students daily,” she said.

In the Union of Students in Ireland’s pre-budget submission, the key asks were to fund the building of 30,000 beds — the current shortfall in student accommodation — the reduction of student fees by €1,500, with a view to their eventual abolition, as well as the provision of free public transport for all students.

Further Education Minister Patrick O’Donovan has already signaled that a fees reduction of €500 is on the way.

Accommodation complexes are being built adjacent to Irish universities and other third-level institutions, but monthly rents are far in excess of their equivalent in other EU countries.

In some cases students are paying €250 per week or more for rooms in private accommodation; however, in other cases it’s up to €450 per week.

Whether the Government grasps that particular nettle on budget day remains to be seen.