Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The pupil-teacher ratio and the allocation of teachers are all part of the budget and I will not change the budget midway through the year. I get the Deputy's point and it was raised quite extensively in the House in discussing the challenges we will encounter in August and September with regard to extra resources. This is why I am engaging very closely with education stakeholders to ensure the roadmap we will provide on Friday for school reopenings will incorporate some of the concerns the Deputy has raised. With regard to the school looking to retain the teacher, there is an independent appeals process and I suggest the school goes through that.

See this speech in context