Fife Council is embarking on a monumental study into future education needs as it looks to address a budget “crisis”.
It could mean schools which have served their communities and generations of pupils for many years might have to merge.
The council has begun reviewing its entire school estate by revealing comprehensive information on every school in Fife.
The information includes the occupancy rate for every school, the condition of the school, its suitability to meet modern education needs and the amount of money being spent per pupil each year.
Mr Rowley said the local authority would have to close a vast £70 million funding gap over the next three years. That is the shortfall finance officials are estimating between the cost of continuing with services and increasing demands.
”This means that every area of budget will need to be scrutinised and every penny needs to be well spent,” he said.
”In Fife we know that our children are our future and we understand that the greatest gift we can give every young person is a high-quality education.
”Our children and young people need to experience a curriculum which is well matched to their interests, their potential and their ambitions.
”To maximise their opportunities for learning, they need the support of dedicated teachers, who are well supported and highly valued.”
He added, however, that Fife’s schools estate ”has been letting us down.”
”We spend too much of our limited budget on patching up worn-out buildings and on surplus school places. On a few of our primary school places we spend as much as five times as we do on others.
”In addition, Fife has more than 16,000 spare places in its schools and yet thousands of children learn in poor conditions.
”It would be irresponsible not to examine this against a background of massive cuts it becomes a necessity in order to protect the quality of education.”
Mr Rowley said the local authority needed to run school buildings more efficiently and needed schools that were closely matched to current and future needs to provide a stimulating learning environment which the council could afford to maintain to the standards parents expect.
”Money spent on poor-quality buildings and excess places is money down the drain. It is money which could be spent in learning and teaching, invested in our children’s and grandchildren’s futures.
”The administration wants to see local schools of the right size, in the right place and in the right condition. This will mean taking some hard decisions.
”Some schools which have served communities in Fife for years may have to merge with others but we cannot bury our heads in the sand and ignore the problems,” he warned.
The administration is asking the executive director of education to bring forward a report as soon as possible on how the long-term problems might be addressed.
Mr Rowley also stressed that there will be widespread consultation on all proposals brought forward in the review.