The continuity of the Playa Honda Municipal Children's School is in danger, due to cuts in the budgets of the Canary Islands Government, as the mayor of the municipality, María Dolores Corujo, who hopes that there will finally be a solution, told La Voz.
The problem is that the Government of the Canary Islands has withdrawn the item allocated to children's schools. Specifically, the Playa Honda Children's School is co-financed 33 percent by the regional Executive and 33 percent by the San Bartolomé City Council. "The other 33 percent comes from the fees paid by the users themselves," explains Corujo.
The Playa Honda Children's School was launched in September 2010 and its management, for a period of two years, was awarded to the company Marpe Altavista S.L. "The contract is now over, but for us it is unaffordable to be able to face indirect management without the contribution of the Government of the Canary Islands and comply with the new regulations that were launched in 2008," said Corujo.
These regulations, according to Corujo, estimate, among other criteria, a ratio of one graduate for every eight children. "It is unsustainable. We do not have the economic capacity to assume it and we do not defend the increase in fees either," said Corujo, who pointed out that the school has "an operating deficit of 375,000 euros."
Thus, what has been requested from the San Bartolomé City Council to the Government of the Canary Islands is that it repeal or extend the Royal Decree of 2008 that regulates Children's Schools and return to the old criteria that regulated municipal nurseries. Thus, Corujo points out, "it would become direct management, as is the San Bartolomé School." "It would be affordable, because we would provide the service with our staff, through a training plan for complementary assistants, because we have technical staff, in terms of educators and others."
Even so, Corujo is confident of being able to have a response from the Ministry of Education within a maximum period of 15 days. "Our intention is not to close, but to find solutions and it seems that there is political will."
Parents' concern
However, for the moment, the registration period for the center has been suspended and parents are concerned about the future of the school. At least, this is what one of the mothers has conveyed, who points out that she does not know "how this situation could have been reached." "We have been paying quite high fees, so that it does not depend exclusively on the subsidy", she says.
This woman says she is tired of "the cuts always being suffered by the same people" and hopes that the Children's School can "continue to operate" and, "if not all, at least some employees can continue to perform their work" which, she assures, is "exceptional."
