Parents hit out at prospective East Dunbartonshire primary school merger plans
PROPOSALS to merge primary schools have sparked an angry reaction from concerned parents.
Last week East Dunbartonshire Council leader Rhondda Geekie admitted to the Herald that the options being considered “were never going to be popular with everyone”.
She was proven to be right, as the Herald office was bombarded with calls, e-mails, Facebook messages and tweets from anxious parents, teachers and other members of the community.
The council wants to merge some primary schools in new, purpose-built premises in a move that would tackle falling school rolls and provide modern, state-of-the-art educational facilities.
But some parents are worried about rising school rolls - with some of the merger options creating schools with a capacity four times the current average in East Dunbartonshire.
Others were sad that individual school’s heritage and place in the community could be lost forever.
Already some parents are grouping together to campaign for their individual school’s survival.
And others have raised doubts about whether the cash-strapped council should be embarking on a project costing in the region of £80million in a period of austerity.
A member of the ‘Keep Gartconner’ Facebook group said: “It seems ironic that an exercise in cost-cutting should propose all these new schools being built.
“Where do the council plan in getting the money for these new schools?
“Do they plan to borrow it? How will that help the financial position?”
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Sunday 19 May 2013
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