A retired principal teacher at Madras College is “begging” three of her former colleagues to withdraw their threat of legal challenge against construction of a new £40 million single-site secondary school at Pipeland.
Former art teacher Wilma Grant, who is also a former Labour leader of Kirkcaldy District Council, has made an “impassioned plea” for former rector Lindsay Matheson and former teachers Mary Jack and Sandra Thomson to call off their intended judicial review.
Ms Grant said: “I remember only too well the travelling between two buildings (at Kilrymont and South Street), sometimes as much as three times a day in all weathers at cost to the taxpayer.
“Classes would often have a teacher from a different subject for 25 minutes in a period whilst waiting for their subject teacher to arrive from the other building. I remember carrying books and resources from one building to the other.
“Let’s not forget the crumbling state of the asbestos ridden corridors and classrooms, the heavy ceiling tiles that frequently fell on desks in some rooms, the special contractors, wearing “space suits”, painting with special paint the ceilings in Kilrymont to cover the crumbling asbestos, the poor state of toilets staff and pupils’ toilets.
“The leaky roof in Kilrymont staffroom, the worrying cracks in the art corridor, South Street.
“I will never forget the cold art rooms in South Street in winter sometimes taking me all evening to recover from the day.”
Ms Grant added: “This farce has gone on far too long…Pupils, parents/carers and staff all deserve a building fit for the purpose of teaching and learning in the 21st Century.
“Suffice to say this Lindsay, Mary and Sandra, I am so very disappointed by the actions of former colleagues I once respected. I beg you to reconsider and withdraw the request for judicial review.”