Teacher Staffing Cuts: Teachers’ Union Reports to Comptroller, Cites «Legal Violations» in DEP Directive

Original article: Recortes en dotación docente: Colegio de Profesores acude a Contraloría y advierte «vicios de legalidad» en instructivo de la DEP

The Teachers’ Union has announced a submission to the General Comptroller regarding an official letter issued by the Public Education Directorate (DEP) under the Ministry of Education, which instructs measures such as the merging of classes and reductions in teacher staffing, among other actions.

«We have just submitted a report to the Comptroller about Ordinary 2622 from the Public Education Directorate, which outlines several measures, some of which are highly detrimental to education and could severely affect educational services in various SLEP regions across the country,» stated Mario Aguilar, the national president of the teachers’ union, during a press conference.

The leader stated that «this directive, in our opinion, contains a series of legal violations, as it assigns the Director of Public Education powers that they do not possess concerning staffing instructions or technical-pedagogical matters that have not yet been adequately addressed in annual plans.»

«We hope that the General Comptroller of the Republic, Mrs. Dorothy Pérez, acts with the same urgency regarding this illegal action by the Public Education Directorate, as she has done with teachers in various matters,» Aguilar asserted.

Meanwhile, Rosa María Montecinos, the Metropolitan Regional Secretary of the Teachers’ Union, explained that «the basis of this request to the Comptroller, stemming from the directive, relates to the staffing levels that schools need to operate effectively according to their specific requirements.»

«It must also be understood that the construction of teacher staffing levels is linked to the Inclusive Education Programs (PIE), Annual Educational Plans (PADEM), and the PIE program as well. Therefore, budget cuts cannot determine the types of professionals that are necessary,» Montecinos insisted.

We will continue to provide updates.