Violence, dysfunction, drop in resources… Bragard teachers have the blues. They are stepping up to the plate to warn of deteriorating material teaching conditions.
“We have more and more highly disruptive students, or students with special educational needs”explains the director of the Chancenay school, Florent Fossard. A situation which is not specific to the Bragarde region even if according to the FSU-SNUipp, these problems in Haute-Marne are more recurrent from Joinville to Saint-Dizier.
“Bragard students are deprived of Christmas snack”
The consequences of this situation are manifested by an increase in the number of resignations and contractual terminations. “Even colleagues with more than 20 years of experience, 2 years from retirement”point out the staff representatives. The teaching union wanted to point out these problems a few weeks before the revision of the school map. “Saint-Dizier risks losing classes, there were still around twenty fewer students except in Péguy”assures Édouard Gonzalez, teacher at Gambetta. If we compare to previous years, Haute-Marne risks between 25 and 40 class closures.
Class closures
To this must be added a drop in city allocations for the purchase of supplies. “We had the unpleasant surprise of the 30% drop in allocations for the management line which allows the purchase of school materials”continues the school teacher. This decline was reflected in the disappearance of the mathematics file which is nevertheless a practical tool for students and families.
Still in the cut expenses, bragard students will be deprived of Christmas snacks. In fact, a specific expenditure line which allowed schools to organize a snack before the end of year celebrations has been removed. “It was a moment of conviviality which made it possible to welcome families and warm up the school climate”, assures Édouard Gonzalez. A good way also to build links with families, while relations with parents become more and more frosty.”
Citizen passport
The municipality has been organizing the citizen passport for several years. If the activities seem to find favor in the eyes of bragard teachers, it is the organization that is singled out. “The activities are interesting both from the point of view of civics and in the discovery of Bragard heritage, it is in the organization of these activities with regard to the educational freedom of teachers that there is a problem”, supports Édouard Gonzalez. The criticism concerns participation which is not a choice left to the freedom of teachers but which is “imposed on schools without prior consultation”.
The presence of teachers is required outside of their working hours such as for the awards ceremony at the end of the year which takes place at Les Fuseaux. “These activities are not the subject of any mission order, therefore teachers are not covered in the event of an accident, and are not entitled to overtime,” indicates the unionist. And as if that were not enough, from next year, there will be no more Department grants for discovery classes in the 1is degree.
