Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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Question 201: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will list the schools in County Roscommon and County Leitrim which are set to lose a teacher next September due to the revised pupil teacher ratio for rural schools; if he will amend the review process to allow schools which would have retained a teacher on the pupil teacher ratio in place on 30 September 2011, to retain that teacher for September 2012, in view of the significant changes that will result on foot of the pending school transport changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14009/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on my Department's website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The relevant appointment and retention figures for mainstream staffing for the coming school year have been published on the Department's website. However, the staffing arrangements in schools for the 2012/2013 school year can also be affected by changes in their enrolment, the impact of other budget measures and the reforms to the teacher allocation process. The reform of the allocation process is designed to bring a more equitable distribution of existing posts between schools so there will inevitably be some schools that will lose posts and some schools that will gain posts.

My Department has expanded the existing appeals process so that it is accessible to the small schools that are losing a classroom post as a result of the budget measure. They won't lose their classroom post if any of them are projecting increased enrolments in September 2012 that would be sufficient to allow them to retain their existing classroom posts over the longer term. The detailed arrangements are set out in the Department's Staffing Circular that is now published on my Department's website. The closing date for submission of appeals for the April meeting of the Staffing Appeals Board is 23 March, 2012.

The final staffing position for all schools will ultimately not be known until the Autumn. At that stage the allocation process will be fully completed for mainstream classroom teachers and any appeals to the Staffing Appeal Board will have been considered. In relation to primary school transport, Budget 2012 changes were confined to primary school transport charges. Other changes to the primary scheme commencing this September were announced in Budget 2011 and derive from recommendations in the School Transport Value for Money review. Given the requirement to obtain savings under the four year national recovery plan there is no scope to review these changes.