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Northern Ireland school budgets bombshell: Storey Northern Ireland school budget cuts to cost teaching jobs
(about 1 hour later)
School principals are in shock after finding out their budgets will be smaller than expected, the DUP education spokesman has said. Cuts in school budgets will mean teachers and other staff losing jobs, Education Minister John O'Dowd has said.
A letter outlining hard times ahead was sent to school governors on Friday. Principals have been told their financial allocation will be reduced by 5% this year, around 2% more than expected.
Education committee chair Mervyn Storey said Minister John O'Dowd should find other ways of saving money if jobs are not to be lost. Mr O'Dowd said it was an "unsavoury but necessary decision".
A letter outlining hard times ahead was sent by the department of education to school boards of governors on Friday.
The letter mentioned the £40m of extra money which Mr O'Dowd has released, but said despite that, the reductions in funding would be unprecedented and a "real and significant challenge".
Mr O'Dowd said on BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme: "The harsh reality of the cuts imposed on this administration by the British government is that we are going to face job losses among our teaching staff, among our school staff, going into the future."
Education committee chair Mervyn Storey said the minister should find other ways of saving money if jobs are not to be lost.
"This is a financial bombshell which has been landed with boards of governors and with school principals," he said."This is a financial bombshell which has been landed with boards of governors and with school principals," he said.
"They have been working on the premise that the reduction in their budgets would be something in the region of 3%. They are now being told it's 5%.""They have been working on the premise that the reduction in their budgets would be something in the region of 3%. They are now being told it's 5%."
The letter mentioned the £40m of extra money which Mr O'Dowd has released, but said despite that, the reductions in funding would be unprecedented and a "real and significant challenge".
The DUP's Mervyn Storey said principals he spoke to were expecting cuts of 3% and were shocked to find out in the letter that they will have to manage on even less.