Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome. It is not often that I have raised a local issue in the Chamber since I became a Senator in 2016, but this is an issue that is extremely close to my heart. Scoil An Chroí Ró Naofa Sóisir in Killinarden is facing serious financial trouble. The school opened in 1980 and now caters to three generations of the Killinarden community. Killinarden is an extremely tight community. We look after each other. What we do not have in financial and social capital, we have in human capital in terms of how we care for each other.

That a school that understands the context and historic nature of the community in the way this school does could potentially close is not just a travesty in terms of the children's education but a threat to the social cohesion and fabric of the community. Our community experiences a lot of hardship and the school is the most consistent place that we will experience throughout our day. Even beyond the education piece, we have to look at the fact that the SNAs in the school are local women. We know that everybody is minding and looking out for each other. The school originally catered for 400 children and the population of the school has decreased.

The Minister for Education, Deputy McEntee, has engaged on this matter and has said she will provide an advance in capitation funding, but this is a short-term solution when we need bigger picture thinking. The school needs double capitation. Currently, it is using its DEIS funding to pay bills and bridge gaps. This funding was used to pay for art and music therapies and additional extracurricular activities. Not only are the kids losing out in terms of what they should be getting educationally, they are now also losing out in what they should be getting in terms of extra needs.

This is a community that has a lot of complex needs. The potential closure of the school is not something that should be taken lightly. Some people may argue that there are other schools close by or the children can attend a school down the road. However, the closure of the school would threaten the safety of the community, including children.

I hope that, rather than the Minister of State responding with a short-term solution such as the advancement of funding to keep the school open temporarily, we look to DEIS band 1 plus. Some schools deal with many more additional needs than other DEIS schools. We need a solution that provides the proper care for those schools. I ask the Minister of State for an update on the DEIS band plus system and what we can expect to see in that regard. Will that meet the needs of the school? A school with a smaller population of students - there are 117 pupils - will advance children far more than having to fill a school with more pupils. A double capitation grant would do that.