News / School closure battle has just begun
SHETLAND Islands Council is one step closer to closing secondary and primary schools in its bid to save more than £3 million from its education budget.
However some councillors and parents have pledged to battle the plans and hope to have them thrown out as early as next week.
On Friday the council’s education and families committee agreed by a single vote to recommend consultation begin on closing secondary departments in Sandwick, Aith, Whalsay and Skerries.
Also on the hit list are single teacher primary schools in Sandness, Olnafirth, Urafirth, North Roe and Burravoe.
Shetland central member David Sandison managed to have Baltasound junior high school on the isle of Unst removed from the list.
Sandison argued closure would be unfair on children in Uyeasound, who lost their primary school last Christmas on the promise that they would all be able to complete their education in Baltasound.
“Having made that commitment I find it pretty hard to suggest that we ignore it,” he said.
North Isles councillor Gary Cleaver attempted to throw out plans to close all the junior highs, because of the impact on children of long bus and ferry journeys and the effect on rural communities of pupils staying in a hostel in Lerwick all week.
Cleaver’s suggestion the council investigate savings elsewhere after prioritising its overall aspirations was defeated by four votes to five.
Afterwards he said the council was trying to develop “a Bash Street Kids” style of schooling that needed updating.
“The question we should be asking is how do we get a 21st century model of education that can be delivered to children where they live in their communities,” he said.
While disappointed at losing the vote on Friday, he said he was confident opponents of the plan would win the day when it goes to full council on 20 September.
Committee chairwoman Vaila Wishart said she was surprised the vote had gone through on Friday as there is so much opposition within the council.
She stressed the recommendations reflected a change of education policy that provided “a lot of room for manoeuvre”.
She herself had been worried about children from Unst having to cross Bluemull Sound in a ferry every day to reach school, she said, and thought lengthy bus journeys for children living on Shetland’s west side could be reduced.
“I don’t like closing schools and I would rather not do it, but my main concern is that our reserves will be gone in five years and we do have to save money,” she said.
“We have set up a system that we now can’t afford and we do need to start making tough decisions.”
A growing number of councillors appear to be coming round to the idea of drawing up a list of general priorities where the council should spend its money, which could possibly reduce the amount demanded from the education budget.
Meanwhile executive director of children’s services Helen Budge said that if the council votes through the committee’s decision next week it might have to look elsewhere for the £500,000 that would have been saved by closing Baltasound junior high.
One option mentioned during Friday’s debate by Shetland South member Allison Duncan was closing primary schools in Tingwall, Hamnavoe and Nesting, which could save as much as closing the Unst secondary.
Almost 30 parents turned up to hear Friday’s debate and afterwards said they were disappointed and determined to fight the closures.
John Haswell, from Walls, said: “What reassured me is that there is obviously a body of councillors that have the interests of our children at the forefront of their arguments and have retained their principles.”
Burravoe parent council chairman Steven Brown was dismayed his school is once again facing closure after winning a reprieve from the Scottish government just last year.
“We have a parent council meeting tonight and we will be sharpening the axe again for the battle ahead of us,” he said.
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