Council chiefs plan £20m of secret education cuts

Among the options being examined are making individual schools "specialists" in some subjects and teaching Higher and Advanced Higher classes together.

Staff such as secretaries and janitors would have to work on a rota across more than one school under another of the controversial proposals.

The details have emerged in a document drawn up by council officials, seen by the Evening News, that looks to find 10m of education savings in each of the next two financial years.

News of the new wave of massive cuts has angered parents, coming after millions of pounds' worth of savings hit education services in recent months.

In the report, council officials say: "Schools, making up such a significant element of the budget, cannot realistically be exempted from the process of making budget savings without additional resources being provided.

"The previous approach to 'salami slicing' budgets cannot continue and a longer-term review of significant areas of spend is required to deliver strategic reductions in expenditure and, if targets are exceeded, potentially provide growth for new initiatives."

The extent of the cuts have been criticised by opposition councillors, who also say that proposals are being drawn up in private by unelected officials, without the councillors.

Councillor Andrew Burns, leader of the Labour group on the city council, said: "All of these are of such significance that there needs to be proper political input.

"There needs to be a proper and serious debate on this. There has been no discussion at committee at all. I think it is a serious concern that officers are keeping as much away from committees as they can."

Working groups of finance and education officials have now been set up to look in detail at how each potential saving could work in practice.

One option being discussed within a secondary school review group is delivering Higher and Advanced Highers together, while new "models of provision" are being investigated, such as schools that specialise in S1-3 or S4-6. Other options include allowing individual schools within certain parts of the city to become specialists in some subjects.

One group is also looking at further cuts to "the number of operational establishments", although coalition councillors have already insisted that they won't allow any more schools to be closed.

Parents said they were angry that cuts were being planned behind their backs.

The first meeting of a discussion group for parents set up by the council met for the first time last week but did not discuss any details about savings being investigated.

Gavin Corbett, chairman of the Craiglockhart Primary parent council, who campaigned against the recent cuts to school budgets, said: "Cuts of this scale will be of concern to many parents across the city. That is why it is important there is good communication with parents and transparency.

"Parents always seem to be trying to catch up on these types of proposals; they are never involved in the discussions."

Cllr Marilyne MacLaren, the city's education leader, said: "This is an internal officer-level document at its very early drafting stage which hasn't even been passed to me yet.

"The council is facing unprecedented financial pressures and as a result we need to make significant savings. It is therefore important that our officials look at the range of options so politicians can make fully informed decisions."