Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 September 2026
396. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Youth when a teacher will be added to her Department's payroll and commence receiving their salary; the reason for the delay; and whether payment of any outstanding salary can be expedited. [68476/26]
View answerMy department provides a payroll service to over 3,700 schools. The staffing allocation for Meenkilly National School for the 2026/2027 school year is a Principal plus 3 mainstream class teachers and 1 Special Education teacher. The payroll area of my department is currently paying 5 teachers in this school and as there is no allocation for Ms. Shanahan she cannot be added to the payroll at this time.
The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally.
On the basis of an enrolment of 101 pupils on 30 September 2025, the mainstream staffing allocation of the school for the current school year is Teaching Principal and 3 classroom teachers.
Within the staffing arrangements, there is a staffing appeals mechanism for schools to apply to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board, under certain published criteria. The next meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board will be held in October. Information and application forms are available in Circular 0025/2026.
