City schools facing nearly £3.8m overspend and ‘clear’ financial challenges

Newport: It looks like the schools in Newport are really struggling with their budgets this year. Most of the primary schools are expecting to overspend, and they’ll need to use their reserves just to stay afloat.

Out of 44 primary schools, only nine are not forecasting a budget overspend. That’s pretty alarming! Many of them will have to dig deep into their savings to balance things out.

And it’s not just the primary schools. Secondary and special schools are feeling the pinch too. They’re all bracing for overspending by the end of March, which is a tough spot to be in.

The city council recently shared that the total deficit for Newport’s schools could hit nearly £3.8 million. That’s a big number, and it’s clear there are some serious financial challenges ahead.

Cllr Dimitri Batrouni, the council leader, mentioned that he’s seen firsthand the struggles secondary schools are facing. He’s committed to helping them out as much as possible.

They’re planning to give an extra £600,000 to primary schools, but Cllr Batrouni admitted that it won’t fix everything. He and Cllr Deb Davies are also planning to visit every primary school this year to chat with headteachers about their challenges.

Cllr Davies expressed pride in the schools and the quality of education they provide, despite the financial strain. She noted that the extra funding is a step in the right direction, but it’s not a complete solution.

Looking ahead, the council is set to boost its schools budget by £11 million in April, which should help ease some of the pressure. They’re also avoiding any cuts to school budgets for the next year, which is a relief.

There’s a public consultation on the council’s budget proposals running until February 5, so folks can have their say on how things should go.