Now that the dust has settled and Skerries Schools’ secondary department in Shetland has been saved from closure, one issue still gives cause for concern.
A figure of pound;92,000 per annum was given by the education service as the cost of the department. This is not correct because it is related to the whole school which is one building, and our calculation is that this reduces the cost of leaving the secondary department open to less than pound;50,000 per annum. This would have been offset by hostel costs of pound;16,000 and transport costs of pound;10,000 to take the pupils to and from Anderson High in Lerwick, leaving the net cost of leaving the school open to pound;24,000.
Denise Anderson
Skerries school board chairwoman Out Skerries
