asked the Minister for Education if she will reconsider the decision to withdraw the seventh assistant teacher from Gaelscoil Míde, Dublin 5, in view of the history of this school and its potential as an educational unit in Dublin north-east.
Written Answers. - Staffing at Gaelscoil Míde (Dublin).
71.
The staffing of national schools in a particular school year is determined by the enrolment in the school on 30 September of the previous school year. This is in accordance with the agreement reached between the Government and the INTO under the Programme for National Recovery. In the case of Gaelscoil Míde there were 203 pupils enrolled on 30 September 1988 which warrants a staff of principal plus six assistants for the current school year, 1989-90.
The enrolment in the school on 30 September 1987 warranted a staff of principal plus six assistants for the 1988-89 school year; however, due to accommodation difficulties experienced by the school a seventh assistant was allowed in that year as an exceptional matter. The circumstances under which that exceptional arrangement was made no longer apply, and the normal staffing schedule applies for the current school year.
The school applied for the retention of the seventh assistant on the grounds that it was a developing school; however the appeal was rejected as the school did not meet the agreed criteria to be classed as a developing school. The appointment of a seventh assistant to the school is accordingly not warranted.