The lump sum debate: these are the main themes
Tomorrow the Lower House will debate the lump sum, the bag of money that school boards receive. It is enough? How is the money spent? Is there still money to be found somewhere? The most important seven themes for tomorrow at a glance.
Picture: Type tank
Annoyance about the lump sum funding is running high in the House of Representatives. Politicians come up with plans, but can hardly check afterwards whether school boards have done what was devised in The Hague.
The best-known example is the temporary millions of euros to help young teachers find a job. It was at a time when there were still many unemployed people and the shortage was almost knocking at the door. Afterwards it turned out that no extra teachers had been hired to bridge the period between surplus and shortage.
Tomorrow talks the House of Representatives about that lump sum, which has been causing frustration in education itself for years. It is also often unclear to the education staff and the participation councils whether the money is being spent properly. The AOb therefore wants the lump sum system to be adjusted and sent a message about this last week a letter to the MPs.
We list the most important themes for the debate. First of all: do schools get enough income from the government? Then: do school boards spend the money they receive well? And what can the House of Representatives do something about?
School board income
Do school boards get enough money for a competitive staff salary?
No. We have known for years that cabinets of all colors have cut teachers' salaries. According to the agreements, wage developments from the market should be translated one-to-one into education. But politicians can press the red stop button and pay less or no pay rise. That has happened thirty times. Subsequently, a small catch-up was made four times. Not enough, because according to research by the Ministry of the Interior, education staff has lost 4,7 billion euros and salaries are now 18 percent behind the market.
Solution: Politicians must agree that the agreements on monitoring market developments will no longer be cut back. Just like in the healthcare sector.
Do boards receive enough money for other costs, such as educational materials and housing?
No. A clear example of this is this investigation from which it becomes clear that schools for primary and special education are short of money for cleaning, learning materials, ICT or energy. According to the umbrella organization of primary school boards, the PO Council, this is 1,4 billion euros in four years. The money is, according to the researchers at Berenschot, recovered from personnel costs.
Solution: The House of Representatives can ensure that other revenues are also in line with price developments. That alone will not be enough: too little money is available for innovation.
Expenses school boards
Do administrators also spend the room for wage increases on salaries?
We do not know that. How much wage increases are made possible by politicians is stated in a secret letter from the ministry to the school boards. Whether the entire wage margin is used for salaries or other expenses is unknown to the unions. That's weird. CLA negotiations proceed much more smoothly if that space is known. Schools are not companies where the wage margin is related to profit and business risks, they simply get the wage margin passed on from the cabinet, with or without discounts.
Solution: The pay slip letters must be made public, only the minister does not want that. The House of Representatives must enforce this with the cabinet. In this way, it is known how large the wage margin is and agreements can be made more quickly about its implementation.
Do boards spend the full amount they get for salaries on salaries?
Yes and no. The Education Magazine looked at that last year for primary education: 18 percent of the schools there paid substantially less in salaries than the 'staff pot' from the government subsidy. What was paid less went to the reserves, additional accommodation expenses and other costs. But 28 percent of school boards spend more on staff. They pay for this from their reserves or the parental contribution. In fact, no one has control over it.
Solution: Yes, politicians must give important positions, such as staff, earmarks and the participation council, more influence. Schools can then appoint sufficient staff and must also make clear what kind of staff they are hiring. In particular, these should be people who contribute directly to education. The overhead must also be reduced, as a standard must be set for this.
MPs will debate tomorrow about the lump sum, the bag of money that school boards receive. (Image: Type tank)
Can't the reserves be skimmed off to be used for education?
Sure. The AOb has been working on this for years, but politics must now continue. Unfortunately, the excess reserves are concentrated in a small group and there are also schools that are struggling to make ends meet.
Solution: A standard for what normal reserves are is the least, so that school boards with high reserves also spend the money for what it is intended for: namely education.
Are there still pots that can be used for salaries or educational expenses of boards?
Perhaps. A little. Some politicians and other organizations also look at the 'performance box' with a skewed eye. This is money for agreements between the employers' councils and the ministry. For example, about staying less in primary education, challenging education in secondary education or regional cooperation in MBO. The Education Council, the government's advisory body, is not very happy with such agreements because they are often not properly evaluated and it is unclear whether the goals will be achieved. The AOb finds it strange that such agreements - with far-reaching consequences for the staff - are only discussed with school boards and not with the unions. But it is difficult to skim the performance box and convert it into, for example, a salary increase, because now there are also colleagues who have a job because of the money that comes with the agreements.
Solution: In any case, politicians must not only make agreements with employers, but also with the unions. In addition, it must be examined whether the system with separate pots is properly evaluated.
Is it clear where the money from the school boards goes?
Too little. Accountability must be improved and all information must be public. Annual reports must be online, audits by the accountant and Education Inspectorate must be improved. The participation council must also be given the right of consent for the main aspects of the budget.
Solution: Politics must be able to arrange this very quickly. We are waiting too long for that.
The debate in the House of Representatives will start tomorrow from 11.00 a.m. and can be followed via the livestream. Read the letter to the Chamber of the AOb via this link.
