Raft of school closures on the horizon

That's the headline in Hebrides News.

This is not about new schools, per se, but about balancing the budget.

The Council face a number of very serious challenges in achieving the aim of rationalisation:

• The parents and teachers don't trust you
• What Councillor is going to vote to close a school in his ward?
• The Government want to protect rural schools, at a cost to the Council; not the Government
• Our MSP has made protection of Gaelic a higher priority than educational quality
• Is there actually a coherent plan?

On the positive side, the Chair of Education - Morag Munro - is probably the very best person to have in post to make these decisions and drive them through.

However, I predict many tears before bedtime, and many changes to the plans before the communities accept the inevitable - the money isn't there to keep all the schools open; and it is not in your children's best educational interest to be educated in a class of three in a semi-derelict building.