Dundee could be “battered” by a triple whammy of cuts that has been branded an “unconscionable” attack on the city’s poorest children.
Local leaders already rely on funds set aside to reduce the poverty-related attainment gap to employ specialist school staff.
Dundee City Council will present its budget on Thursday and bosses confirmed teacher numbers will be protected.
But with Scottish Government ministers set to cut local attainment cash by 79% and council budgets slashed again this year in real terms, concerns have been raised over how the city will pay for the educators it needs in coming years.
Councils face further sanctions
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville revealed last week that local authorities, such as Glasgow City Council, who push ahead with plans to cut teacher numbers in a bid to balance the books will face financial sanctions.
She said the Government will “withhold or recoup” funds provided for new teachers in these circumstances.
Dundee-based MSP Michael Marra wrote to Ms Somerville seeking guarantees the city will not be “hit again” by any such measures in future years.
He said the education secretary has failed to offer assurances that the “circumstances in which my community finds itself because of your decisions will not be made even worse”.
Mr Marra said: “The very notion that councils will face fines for not being able to afford teachers due to budget decisions made by your government is outrageous.
“As an attack on local democracy it is deeply unsettling.
“As an attack on our poorest communities, schools and children it is simply unconscionable.
“The same situation applies to all of the original challenge authorities in the poorest communities across Scotland.
“I implore you to reassure those councils who have been battered by your SAC funding cuts that they won’t be hit again as a result of hastily written, ill thought out proposals.”
Why is Dundee losing out?
The Scottish Attainment Challenge previously ring-fenced £43 million for the nine council areas with the highest levels of deprivation – known as challenge authorities.
Ms Somerville confirmed plans in 2021 to redistribute the cash more evenly across Scotland’s 32 council areas – a move that will see 22 school posts lost in Dundee.
Local leaders warned the change could lead to increased deprivation in the poorest communities, with a former city head teacher labelling the cuts “immoral”.
Councillor Stewart Hunter, convener of Dundee City Council’s Children and Families Service confirmed the ruling SNP administration “will protect teacher numbers in this years budget”.
He added: “We will continue to work to protect education as much as we possibly can in the current financial climate.”
What does the government say?
A spokesperson for Ms Somerville said her plans will “maintain increased teacher numbers – the highest of any UK nation on a per-pupil basis – and learning hours in the school week too”.
The spokesperson said: “This commitment to pupils, parents and carers is backed up by record investment resource and capital education spending, and an additional £145 million to enable councils to recruit additional teachers.
“We are also investing £1 billion through the refreshed Scottish Attainment Challenge over the course of this parliament, and providing funding to every council across Scotland – something that was agreed with, and welcomed by, Scotland’s local authorities, including Mr Marra’s own Labour colleagues.”
The spokesperson added that the government’s record “demonstrates our commitment to education” and Labour politicians should outline where the money will come from is they want ministers to make different spending choices.