The Power to build a Community (22 Nov 2019)

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× General discussion, news, views, opinions regarding daily working around the school science preproom and laboratory area

Question And thus it starts ...

2 months 3 weeks ago #41460 by AndyG

So it's the autumn term. As things are, I'm still fuming at the loss of 1/3 of the departmental budget just before the summer stock up ... so at present I've got a dead Bibby still, a dead Ohaus balance, no replacemnt tubing for the vaccum pumps, no replacement tubing for bunsens or splints to light them or glassware to heat ...

New budgets will be established eventually ... hopefully. Problem is, as the 'claw back' was applied in June retrospectively to Easter. As there is no financial information available to us I have no idea what expenditure they will decide to carry forward and take out of this year's budget ... Hell, they even took the income from training PGCE students in department so, naturally, the decision has been made to do it again for nothing ...

I've run a zero budget for nearly thirty years, we were suddenly told of a 10% budget claw back at Easter so I planned around it, but simply because I was careful and planned my expenditure rather than running out at Christmas, the department has been crippled.

Demoralised is one word for it.

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AndyG
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2 months 3 weeks ago #41461 by TecHKnow

If its any consolation. I'm on the same page as you and I understand. Our Budget has been systematically eroded over the past five years. The educational cutbacks have affected Schools proportionately more here in Northern Ireland than anywhere else in the UK. Some Schools have closed during the last few months, We have lost a teacher. My Technician is on Teacher School Holidays (not term time holidays). We are not buying Texbooks. Most stuff is scanned onto the cloud. There is even discussions about School Principals going on strike.

We ordered the very bare minimum this year out of fear over our budget. We are looking for ways of being cost effective and it is very difficult. So Boris says he is putting some money into the educational system and our Northern Ireland politicians managed to screw over the UK Government for extra money in return for their support over Brexit. Honestly, I have not seen a penny of this yet.

Voluntary redundancy has been offered to both non-teaching and teaching staff every year, however, very few can avail of the offer. Certainly, I do not expect I will get it.There needs to be as senior technician to oversee the work of the single science technician here plus take care of other senior science official business.

However the practicals will be serviced, albeit in some cases demo'ed and in other cases they will look at Youtube. In the meantime, I'm taking an extended tea break!

Please consider buying me a drink for Christmas by making a donation to the website - Happy Christmas and Thank you!

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