SCHOOL governors are “crying themselves to sleep” over the funding crisis facing many schools in Powys.
Cllr Graham Breeze, an Independent councillor for Welshpool, made the comment at a meeting of the Learning and Skills Scrutiny committee which discussed school budgets.
On March 31, there were 21 schools in the red to the total of £3.98 million.
It is expected that 28 schools of the 93 in Powys will be submitting deficit budgets.
Of these, eight are expected to return to surplus in the next two years and are proposed to have licensed budgets.
Cllr Graham Breeze said: “I welcome the fact that this report has come to scrutiny before it goes in front of cabinet, because many things in this document should be of concern to this council.
“We constantly hear that too many of our schools are in deficit, and not a person in this room thinks that’s is acceptable.
“But beating governors and headteachers with a big stick is not the answer to solve this problem.”
Cllr Breeze pointed out that school governors are volunteers who were getting upset and stressed at the situation.
He knew of one who told him she “cried herself to sleep”.
He wondered why anyone would want to be a school governor?
Cllr Breeze continued: “We (councillors) are told as LEA (Local Education Authority) governors it’s our duty to ensure our schools produce balanced budgets.
“You are looking at one high school governor who’s telling you that it’s impossible using the current funding formula without jeopardising the quality of education on offer.”
He said that in the last our to five years staff levels had been reduced by 19.
And to produce a balanced budget the school would need to have class sizes of 80.
Education portfolio holder, Cllr Myfanwy Alexander (Independent – Dyffryn Banw), replied: “We know the situation is unsatisfactory.
“We will look to do whatever we can to put our schools in a situation to deliver the education our pupils deserve.
“But the fact is we only have a certain amount of money to go around.
“We are not funded adequately from central and Welsh Government to provide all we would like to.
“Despite the most careful management by our schools it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make ends meet.
“It’s not as if we are keeping any money here that could be given to our schools.”
Cllr Alexander explained that the serviced had taken a £2 million cut in central services in order to give an extra £1 million in to schools.
Cllr Alexander added: “I don’t cry myself to sleep at night but I’m gravely worried.”
On June 18, the report on school budgets will go in front of PCC cabinet to discuss.
Meanwhile councillors and officials have said they don’t expect the authority will force the 65 Powys schools with budgets in the black to hand back cash to the council.
A mechanism called “claw-back” could be triggered if a primary school has more than £50,000 surplus. For secondary schools the figure is £100,000. A list has been drawn up of schools that could be subject to this.
Head of finance Jane Thomas said late allocations of funding for school budgets as well and uncertainty about teachers pay had caused the extra money being held at some schools.
Ms Thomas added: “I may be wrong, but I don’t expect that we will be clawing back from any school. Particularly those forecasting a deficit position. Because when they explain how they are going to use that it will be quite clear that it’s about dealing with that deficit.
“Some schools know they have issues coming along that they will need that for. It’s not a tool to hit schools with. It’s a requirement and we have never taken claw-back from a school.”
Cabinet member for finance, Cllr Aled Davies added: “The important word in the report is: potential. You have to go through the process because of legislation, we never have initiated claw-back and undoubtedly schools will have plans of how they will use their surplus."