The cabinet secretary for education may withhold funding from certain local authorities who have failed to adequately protect their teacher numbers in recent years.
Following the announcement of a ringfenced £145 million to help local authorities maintain their teacher numbers, education secretary Jenny Gilruth told the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee that "four or five" councils have not met the requirements for that funding.
As a result, these councils are under review by the government.
Ms Gilruth renewed a warning that she has the power to withhold funding if councils have not met the agreed requirements.
“This additionality was agreed to in an arrangement between the government and COSLA (convention of Scottish local authorities) that it would be protected for teacher numbers.
“That is what our local authorities signed up to deliver.”
“They understood the rationale behind it, they understood the requirements around this funding.
“That’s why we hold back some of this funding. We will look in detail at the four or five where we have seen significant falls.”
She did not specify the four local authorities that are under tighter scrutiny.
Labour’s education spokesperson, Pam Duncan-Glancy, said that whether local authorities will have specific financial or geographical concerns that put problems with recruiting or retaining teachers partly out of their control.
She also asked for a clear explanation of the circumstances which may trigger clawbacks, and whether local authorities will be scrutinized or punished for spending their portion of the £145 million on other areas within the education budget.
