'Attend school future meeting', TD appeals
He was speaking on KFM Radio where he said he has been approached by parents and the school Principal in recent days expressing concerns about the diminishing numbers in the School.
Deputy Heydon noted that when the new school building was built four years ago, there were 86 pupils and four teachers. With numbers down to 46 at the end of this school term, it is now a 3-teacher school, and staff were told last week that it would be going down to two teachers.
The Deputy said the reduced number of teachers in Brannoxtown NS may be a factor in parents taking the children to other schools, because they don't like the idea of shared classes.
"But if everyone goes in the same direction, that can quickly make a bad situation worse," he said. "The Department doesn't have any intention to close the school, but the reality is that if there are no pupils, there isn't a school."
He added that it is not just a school issue, it is a 'community issue' for the wide hinterland of Brannockstown.
The Public Meeting on the future of the School is in the Baptist Hall tomorrow, Wednesday, at 9pm.
