DIFFICULT school closure decisions need to be made sooner rather than later, the region’s education chief insisted this week.
This straight talking on an emotive issue came after it was revealed that the maintenance bill for outdated school buildings has now soared to a breathtaking £280m.
Dr Gillian Brydson, above, the region’s director of education, skills, and community wellbeing, acknowledged the concern in communities around school closures, but argued that there is now “only one option”.
Speaking at the council’s education committee on Tuesday, Mrs Brydson said: “Twenty-five years ago a paper came to this committee – and it recommended 43 school closures at that point because the school estate was deemed non-sustainable.
“Twenty-five years ago there was a backlog maintenance bill of £30m.
“That backlog maintenance bill is now £280m.
“With such a large school estate – and I recognise how difficult these conversations need to be – you can see that the school roll has fallen drastically since we brought a paper to this committee 25 years ago.
“And we continue to be asking ourselves the same questions – ‘how do we have a sustainable schools estate for the future?’
“Unless we are looking for significant investment to bring our schools up to a minimum level, which at the moment I understand is around £280m, there is only one option. That is to have fewer and better assets.”
She added: “It is a constant challenge to keep our schools fit for purpose – and fit for education in the 21st century.
“That’s exactly the same statement my predecessor said in 2001.
“The chair of the education and learning committee at that time, who was Councillor Tommy Sloan, said ‘doing nothing is not an option’.
“And I think that continues to be the case today.”
School closures, mergers, and the controversial mothballing policy were all discussed by council officers and councillors at Tuesday’s meeting.
A report which listed schools considered to be the “least sustainable” in Dumfries and Galloway was also tabled.
The region’s primary and secondary schools have been assessed and placed on a priority list for potential school reviews based on a scoring system around school rolls, building condition etc.
Meanwhile, Larann Foss, the council’s schools’ property manager, stressed that no decisions have been taken based on the scoring system.
He explained: “It allows us then to have a starting point for review around schools.
“It doesn’t pre-determine the outcome for what that review will output.
“It just says, ‘this is where we start, we’ve got a mammoth task in front of us, we need to start somewhere.’
“It allows us to focus in on schools. We go through engagement, we go through the consultation, we build up the options appraisals, we bring that back in front of yourselves as elected members to take a final decision on which route we should take as an authority to ensure we get the best outcomes for that setting – whether that’s a school, a community, or combination of schools coming together.”
Councillors agreed for a report to be brought back to the committee in the coming months on a strategic education plan for rural schools, which are most likely to be affected by closures.
