The committee papers for the budget setting meeting on Thursday 10 February were issued on Thursday 3 February. I have examined the papers about Schooling in Dundee and notice that they contain exactly the same budget cuts which our SNP led council announced just before Christmas. This is despite the submission of a considerable volume of public, professional and political representations about the shortcomings in these proposals.
Representatives of our Primary School Head Teachers and Depute Head Teachers, have informed me that they have felt sidelined from consultation about the proposed cuts in their schools. More disappointing is that their alternative budget options do not seem to have influenced the Education Convener, Councillor Liz Fordyce. The lady is obviously not for turning!
Interestingly Councillor Fordyce made a point of publicising her visits to every one of the Primary Schools in the city after she was appointed. I wonder what it was that persuaded her to reinstate management standards in our schools from 1972. Little evidence here of Changing for the Future, more like Back to the Future.
Dundee deserves better.
