Rising fuel costs put pressure on school finances

The principal of a Meath primary school has called on the government to introduce adequate funding to address the rising costs of energy bills.

Brien Kearns, principal of Castletown National School, says as the peak period for heating and electricity usage approaches, schools will have to tighten their belts but not at the expense of student's education, he hopes.

“It is a worry, we have seen a rise in our bills since last February/March, there has been a gradual rise. We haven’t reached our peak period and that’s going to be a concern. We are massively underfunded already and there is a shortfall so who’s going to be make it up.

“Is our parent’s association going to have to subsidise a fill of oil for the school or a massive electricity bill, that’s not a sustainable model. We would be hopeful there is talk of a 50 percent increase in the capitation grant this year which would help.

“Schools are pinned to their collar. Our fill of oil is doubling, our electricity is going up by 40 per cent, that is a huge outlay on schools."

Castletown NS which has 100 pupils and four classrooms already has a number of energy saving solutions.

“We have sensor lights that go off at break times, as part of the Green Schools Initiative we do have energy monitors who go around and turn off laptops, interactive boards or lights that are left on at break times.

“Apart from that, you are just going to have to be really prudent and watch everything. At the same time, you can’t have kids cold, you have to have the heat on but you have to watch the purse strings as well and that you are spending money that you have, that you are not looking for subsidies off parents for fills of oil.

“You don’t want to be using any extra funding or fundraising for an electricity bill, that is taking away from your day to day business of what school is about.

“So it really is up to the government and up to the department to increase funding and to ensure that money allocated is going to benefit the children in terms of their education and not just to keep them warm which is really just a right they have.”