City leaders vow that no more schools will be axed

The Evening News can reveal that the Liberal Democrat/SNP administration is set to cut all school budgets by one per cent – much less than the 2.5 per cent cut proposed by council officials. It has also emerged that proposals by officials in the children

and families department to close two secondary schools – thought to be the Wester Hailes Education Centre and Castlebrae Community High School – have also been dropped.

But the axe is certain to fall elsewhere, with plans to close around six community centres still set to get the go-ahead.

Overall school budgets will be reduced by 2 million, instead of the 5m cut proposed by officials in November.

And a separate budget for school supplies and services – covering everything from computers and smart boards to art supplies, text books and musical instruments – will be increased by 250,000.

The lower school budget cuts come after all of the city's secondary school headteachers wrote to the council with their concerns about the cuts – and suggested schools should be closed instead.

Councillor Marilyne MacLaren, the city's education leader, said: "Following on from the full protection of school budgets last year, this administration has continued a strong commitment to education and children's services by prioritising school budgets.

"Unfortunately some services will still be affected but by reducing savings in schools budgets to just one per cent we are safeguarding 3m that can be targeted where it is most needed.

"We are conscious that headteachers have been struggling.

"We therefore have gone back to the drawing board and we can now announce that we will increase this budget for the second year running by 250,000."

Thousands of pupils and parents were preparing a mass rally at the City Chambers next Tuesday in protest at the proposed 2.5 per cent budget cuts and threat of school closures.

Soon after it came into power in 2007, the Lib Dem/SNP administration announced plans to close 22 city schools – although it downsized its proposals in the wake of protests. But the decision was taken to close four primary schools in December and today's development will not affect these closures.

One administration source said: "We will not countenance the closure of WHEC or Castlebrae.

"It was flagged up by officials and these two schools stuck out but we've gone through a school rationalisation programme and enough is enough."

This time last year, council officials proposed two per cent "across the board" cuts to school budgets but the administration councillors opted against the cuts.

There will still be widespread opposition from the other parties to any cuts which the council must make as it desperately tries to plug a 90 budget deficit over the next three years as a result of anticipated funding cuts and demographic change.

Full details of the children and families budget, as well as the wider council budget, will be unveiled at a budget meeting next Thursday.