Sir,
Firstly, we would like to publicly thank the following 15 councillors who showed such foresight by voting to save Lionel Secondary School at last week’s Comhairle meeting. In no particular order,
Catherine Macdonald, Charlie Nicolson, Donnie Steele, Kenny Macleod, John Mackay, Iain Morrison, Rae Mackenzie, Gordon Murray, John A Maciver, DJ Macrae, Iain Macaulay, Philip Mclean, Donald Manford, 'Cudig' Macleod and Norman Macleod, you all have our collective thanks for trying to do the right thing.
We would also like to thank the new councillor Alastair Maclennan who publicly supported our fight to save Lionel Secondary School, despite the fact that he was not allowed to vote on this hugely important matter which affected the ward he will represent.
To the other 15 councillors who voted for closure – Angus Campbell, Norman A Macdonald, Catriona Stewart, Angus McCormack, Donald Crichton, Roddy Mackay, Iain Mackenzie, Zena Stewart, David Blaney, Neil Beaton, Ronald Mackinnon, Uisdean Robertson, Alasdair Macleod, Angus Morrison and Archie Campbell (who retired the very next day), we offer our congratulations on completing your task of closing every rural secondary school on the Isle of Lewis. You should all feel very proud.
Council accused of educational vandalism
20 February 2015
May we ask, when you were elected to serve your own wards, was it in your own personal mandates to destroy the rural secondary school provision within the island?
In a sustained campaign of educational vandalism, you 15 councillors have caused more destruction to our schools and education system than any Comhairle before you. And without doubt any Comhairle which is yet to come.
But we fear that you are not finished yet.
A word of warning to other areas. A word of warning to other schools. We have seen how the Comhairle manipulated the running of Lionel School. They removed the post of head teacher.
They changed the boundaries for the catchment area for the school. They reduced parental confidence in our school to such an extent that some parents last year decided to bypass Lionel and send their children to the Nicolson. Lionel has fought closure for 11 years now.
I now fear for other schools in the Western Isles. For Leverhulme Memorial School, which is in the process of having it's catchment area boundaries changed.
For schools like Breasclete and Shawbost which the Comhairle wish to have shared head teachers – you can be sure that one of these shared schools will close in the near future.
For schools like Iochdar in South Uist, who are seeing declining school rolls because of new schools offering more services like 'wraparound' care
We, in Ness, have seen these tactics used by the Comhairle and the Education department to achieve a means to their own end.
There is no 'fair play' involved as was evident in the manipulation of the vote to close Lionel last week.
We would warn these other schools to prepare for the worst and to ask your councillors to fight on your behalf. Do it now, before it's too late.
Yours Sincerely
Derek O'Connor
(on behalf of the Save Lionel Secondary campaign group)
121 Cross Skigersta Road
Ness