Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 106: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the post of administrative principal in DEIS 2 schools will be retained following changes announced as part of budget 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40076/11]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 107: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if DEIS 2 schools will be subject to mainstream staffing schedules as a result of changes announced in budget 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40077/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions 106 and 107 together.

Given the scale of our economic crisis, adjustments have had to be made across all areas of the public sector. Despite this challenge, the Government has sought to do this in as fair a way as possible. We have protected the pupil-teacher ratio at primary level, prioritised targeted support for the most disadvantaged schools and maintained the overall number of resource teachers and SNAs to support children with special needs.

While DEIS schools are not immune to budgetary measures, a key priority for me is to continue to prioritise and target funding at schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage. In order to ensure fairness in the distribution of resources available under the DEIS plan, it is no longer possible to allow some schools to retain legacy posts on a concessionary basis that pre-date the introduction of DEIS. A range of measures has been announced to withdraw supports (428 posts) from earlier disadvantage programmes/schemes in 270 primary schools and 163 post primary schools, both DEIS and Non-DEIS that exceed what equivalent schools are entitled to under DEIS or to which non-DEIS schools are not entitled. These measures will take effect from the 2012/13 school year.

Some phasing arrangements will be available for those schools considered to be most acutely affected by these changes. Schools will be notified in January 2012 of their staffing entitlements under the new arrangement for 2012/12, including any phasing arrangements that may apply. All Band 2 urban DEIS Schools will be subject to the mainstream staffing schedule from 2012/13 onwards. DEIS Urban Band 2 schools are currently entitled to the allocation of administrative principals on lower enrolment and staffing figures than apply in primary schools generally. From 2012/13 school year, the allocation of administrative principals will be enrolment based only. In DEIS Urban Band 2 schools, an enrolment of 145 pupils will facilitate the principal becoming an administrative principal, compared to 178 in other schools. Schools affected by the change to allocating administrative principals on enrolment basis only, will retain their administrative principal status until there is a change of principal in the school. When an administrative principal post needs to be filled in future, the allocation will be made on an enrolment basis only.

The Government's protection of schools serving disadvantaged areas is further underlined by the maintenance of €13 million in enhanced funding for DEIS schools, €2 million in school book funding for DEIS schools, as well as a €26 million investment in the Home School Community Liaison scheme. All of these areas have been protected from reductions in expenditure for 2012.