Camden New Journal - By RICHARD OSLEY Published: 31 January 2008
Governors bid to find a way out of the red
GOVERNORS at a school hampered by a crippling £500,000 debt were last night (Wednesday) locked in a special meeting in a fresh bid to find a way out of the cash crisis.
The agenda of the extraordinary meeting at William Ellis School in Highgate Road, Kentish Town, has not been revealed but it was said to have been arranged hastily with only a few points up for discussion.
It came as the school’s headteacher, Richard Tanton, was signed off on sick leave for the whole week.
While many parents have been supportive of the school’s recovery plan, there are doubts among union members that suggested cutbacks to plug the gaps could affect performance.
The governors, whose statements have so far all been released through the council’s press office, have kept a united profile as they try to piece the rescue budget together.
Vernon King, chairman of the governing body, said: “It’s business as usual for students at William Ellis, which is this week being run by the deputy headteacher.”
The New Journal revealed last week how the school had punctured a huge hole in its own accounts by forgetting to pay for a new boiler system and spending the money that had been set aside for it. When the bill came in, William Ellis was plunged into the red and has now been ordered by Camden Council to recover around £500,000 over the next two years.