The long four-hour meeting of the Bergerac (Dordogne) town council, on Thursday 28 March, was interrupted by several debates in the school.
1 Numbers: three classes less
The observation is clear: the number of students is decreasing. In 2020, there were 1,788, at the beginning of the school year there were only 1,498, and next year there will be 1,427. The trend, which is departmental, reminds the mayor of Bergerac…
The long four-hour meeting of the Bergerac (Dordogne) town council, on Thursday 28 March, was interrupted by several debates in the school.
1 Numbers: three classes less
The observation is clear: the number of students is decreasing. In 2020, there were 1,788, at the beginning of the school year there were only 1,498, and next year there will be 1,427. The trend, which is sectoral, recalls the mayor of Bergerac, Jonathan Prioleaud, because at the beginning of the 2024 school year, we expect 419 fewer students. Consequence: three classes will be closed in Bergerac in September, in Simone-Veil, l’Alba and André-Malraux. The average will increase to 19.4 students per class. Currently, there are “between 16 and 17” according to the mayor, who wanted to reassure in the face of concerns expressed by his opposition: “There are no plans to close schools in Bergerac. » In September 2021, two schools were closed: Romain-Rolland (primary) and La Moulette (nursery).
2 Canteens: quantity and quality to control
The council voted to create the position of director of the central kitchen with the aim of regaining control over the preparation of meals for schools, but also for the elderly (residences, porters, etc.). An opportunity for the opposition to report “disturbing feedback about deficiencies in the quantity and quality of meals”. An identified problem according to the mayor, who hopes to solve it without the services of a private company that provided logistics and supplies. This could finally allow more use of the neighboring vegetable market. But it also includes purchasing management and menu development. In the canteens, “we started with five ingredients, including a dairy product and an organic product, the question arises of switching to four ingredients,” explains the mayor.
3 Rep +: “stigma” for the mayor
“The teaching community is asking for a switch to Rep+ (reinforced priority education network),” announced opposition elected representative and young retiree of the Périgueux National Higher Institute of Teaching, Catherine Taveau. “This would make it mandatory to divide classes, it would allow numbers to be maintained and teachers whose work is demanding would get a bonus. » This is not for Jonathan Prioleaud, who sees the “stigma” of students in the “Rep + sticker” and recalls that the division of classes was negotiated with the rectorate during the closure of both schools in 2021. “If the “National Education decides to do it, it will it’s her choice,” concludes the prime minister, who has no intention of pushing in this direction.
Subsidies to associations
For a long time, the debates were animated by the vote on grants for associations. Environmentalist Catherine Taveau was surprised by the amount allocated to sports clubs (56% of the total), especially as the city will pay BPFC (football) an additional €243,717 for new facilities. Socialist Fabien Ruet notes that USB Rugby moving to Federal 2 (6th level of competition) affects more than Bergerac Handball, whose women’s team could move to D2 (2nd level). Or 72,000 euros versus 60,000 euros.