CMETB gets seven-year itch over CE situation

Cavan-Monaghan Education and Training Board members may be set on a collision course with the Department of Education and Skills over their assigned Chief Executive’s continued secondment away from the organisation.

If green-lighted later this year, it would be Dr Pádraig Kirk’s fourth two-year spell away from the top seat at the local education provider.

In his last address as chair of the CMETB ahead of next month’s local elections, Fianna Fáil’s PJ O’Hanlon fumed at what he described as a “wrong” situation, in which acting chief executives have commanded the role for more than seven years.

Dr Kirk was first assigned by the Department of Education and Skills to the position of CE at Cavan and Monaghan ETB with effect from September 1, 2016.

He replaced the outgoing Martin O’Brien in the role but, before he could take up the position, a request was made by department officials for the local ETB to allow Dr Kirk continue the work he had started as Director of the Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) Support Service three years prior.

Dr Kirk has never attended a meeting of CMETB.

That initial secondment period from Cavan-Monaghan expired in August 31, 2018, and was extended on request to 2020. Dr Kirk had been due to arrive at CMETB as CE then on August 31, 2022, but again the department interjected.

In that time the ETB experienced further changes at its helm, with former acting CE, John Kearney, vacating the post in 2022 to take over as head of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

He was replaced by another acting CMETB CE, Dr Fiona McGrath.

Dr Kirk meanwhile continued in his role with the JCT until the end of 2023, when he took up a new position within the Department as Director of Oide, a new cross-sectoral schools’ support service.

Matters came to a head at the last CMETB board meeting, which was addressed by General Secretary Education & Training Boards Ireland, Paddy Lavelle.

Mr Lavelle spoke to members via video-link to brief them on the new Terms of Reference being introduced, which would ultimately replace the old 2016 handbook.

Included in that is guidance for appointments to the board, and with this being an election year, it was noted that the first cohort nominated will be councillors first, followed by teaching reps, and latterly community representation.

He confirmed to members, when asked by Cllr O’Hanlon, that the appointment of a CE is also one of the board’s “reserve functions”.

“It is the decision of the board to accept the recommendation,” noted Mr Lavelle.

“I’m quite angry,” replied Cllr O’Hanlon, addressing Mr Lavelle and his fellow colleagues at their meeting at The Workhouse in Carrickmacross. The meeting was CMETB’s last formal meeting scheduled before the local elections take place, June 7.

“We have a situation here, as has been alluded to before, where we have an acting CEO in Cavan and Monaghan for the past seven or eight years,” said Cllr O’Hanlon.

He then asked Mr Lavelle if it was “normal”.

“We have an Acting CE here, who is doing a stand up job I must say, and a previous CE who also did a great job, and if that was the system in the private sector, and I’m only saying this as an ordinary 5-8, but that system is wrong.”

Mr Lavelle replied: “It’s not for me to say.”

He did, however, concede that the such situations were “not sustainable long term”.

Cllr O’Hanlon would continue his tirade in his closing remarks to the meeting.

A special meeting may be required before the end of August to formalise a board in order to deal with any potential further requests from the Department to extend Dr Kirk’s secondment beyond the current term.

“I think it’s very, very unfair,” he said, who said the board would need to make a decision on whether to allow Dr Kirk’s secondment to continue.

He indicated that the board would not be approving an additional secondment to Dr Kirk without first receiving a formal request from the Department first. “It has to happen.”

In a statement to the Celt, a department spokesperson said: “Dr Kirk is currently on secondment from Cavan Monaghan ETB to Oide, the Department funded Teacher Education Support Service, since Sept 2023. Prior to this Dr Kirk was on secondment to the Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) Support Service. At all times during the secondment, a Chief Executive in an Acting role has been in place in Cavan Monaghan ETB.”

A spokesperson for CMETB said, when asked: “As this refers to personnel, CMETB are not in a position to comment.”