School map in the Lot: concerns for parents of students, Dasen relies on dialogue

For the Dasen of the lot, Xavier Papillon, the year starts as always with the delicate development of the school map. Because the Lot follows the national trend and does not escape the chronic decline in the number of its young schoolchildren. Letters were sent last fall to the mayors of sectors where declining school demography could lead to the abolition of a teaching post. Several municipalities have paid the price in recent days, such as Cajarc and Bagnac, which is causing serious concern locally. Xavier Papillon reassures and reminds the calendar which still leaves time for dialogue and adjustments on the territory. Decisions will only be made during the next school holidays scheduled for mid-February.

“Concerning the principles of staffing, it is worth remembering that the staffing procedure is based on a principle of territorial equity according to the number of pupils. This is why, in relation to the municipalities, Dasen must inform the mayors This is what was done in November during the final head count for 2022, and I did it again at the beginning of January since we learned of the forecasts for the next school year. departmental allocation has not been stopped since the competent academic body is meeting next week. The departmental bodies – the technical committee and the CDEN – will meet in the first half of February” explains Xavier Papillon who evokes “a phase of continuation of the information and dialogue with regard to the fragility of the workforce in certain territories but also the progress in others”.

Castelnau-Montratier, Gramat and Gourdon threatened

For the time being, the Dasen du Lot will therefore increase its meetings with mayors, associations of elected officials in the department and also school staff. The only certainty: for the next school year, the rule enacted by the President of the Republic which stipulates that no rural school will close without the mayor’s agreement remains valid. In the Lot, several schools are concerned.

And this is not to reassure the parents of students. At the head of the FCPE in the department, Eric Labastie, is worried: “We know that the Toulouse academy will have 42 fewer positions in the first degree, that means that many departments will be in negative, there will be , if not school closures, at least classroom closures.” The fears of the association relate to the municipalities at the limit of endowments: those which have obtained classes while the numbers have not increased, such as Cahors and Figeac. The municipalities also which have fairly low numbers, below 15 children, “especially in the Célé Valley and then, there is a risk of having pressure on the RPI which sometimes only group together a single school as in Calamane, Montcuq and Saint-Sozy”. A “very destabilizing” situation, according to him.

For the SE-UNSA 46 union, Christine Laverdet is no more reassured. On the contrary. “What must be remembered is that the trend is not good, the budget of the Ministry of National Education has planned to cut 1,700 positions throughout France, the allocation of the Toulouse academy is negative, this had not arrived for a very long time. In fact, we must mathematically expect a negative endowment in our department”, she fears. According to our information, the municipalities of Castelnau-Montratier, Gramat, already threatened last year and Gourdon present a risky situation. The respective town halls were in any case alerted by Dasen in November. In the Lot, 15 municipalities are in a critical situation with the threat of the closure of a class or school. The official allocation for the Lot will be communicated on Monday by the rectorate of the Toulouse Academy.