Special needs children should not be targets of austerity - Kelly

A Wexford Councillor has accused the government of attempting to sneak in a devastating 25% cut to education spending for children with special needs.  Sinn Féin Cllr Anthony Kelly said that there can be no justification for subjecting these children and their families to the sheer hardship that these cuts will cause.

 Cllr Kelly said;

"The announcement of this year's allocation of resource teachers and special needs assistants for the 2013/2014 school year by the National Council for Special Education revealed the government's plan to inflict a 25% cut on education spending for children with special needs.  No amount of spin or propaganda can hide what is essentially one of the cruellest cuts we have seen from this administration."

"Among the schools affected by these cuts will be Scoil Mhuire in Wexford town.  The parents there have campaigned long and hard to prevent further cuts to their children's education following a devastating cut in 2011.  Unfortunately this government has been deaf to their often emotive pleas."

"These cuts will mean that large schools with 20 or more special needs pupils will lose one of their four special needs teachers.  Teaching time will be cut by a quarter. As well as this, autistic children who had been entitled to five hours support teaching a week will only get 3.75 hours now."

"Families who are entitled to the July provision with more than one special needs child will see their allocation shared.  Where these children would once have each been entitled to 40 hours special needs education and coaching during the month of July, these 40 hours will now be divided between siblings."

"It is simply wrong that our government avoids looking at progressive revenue raising measures such as the introduction of a wealth tax or a third band of income tax for those earning over €100,000 per annum and instead target the most vulnerable time and time again."