Opposition councillors have called for “urgent clarity” about plans to overhaul the jobs of specialist music, art and language teachers.
Aberdeenshire Council’s Partnership group has accused the new administration of hiding the plans during the local elections.
But leaders from the Conservative, Liberal Democrats and independents have hit back at their opponents for scaremongering.
Visiting specialists, who are responsible for going into a number of schools each week to deliver subjects including music, art and languages, have received a letter from education which says their role will be scrapped.
Instead the council hopes to integrate them as “core school staff”.
Opposition politicians have warned the letter and shift in policy threatens rural schools which rely on visiting teachers to deliver a rounded curriculum. It comes “hard on the heels” of a suggestion by the new administration that they will review rural schools in the north-east.
Labour councillor Alison Evison, education spokeswoman for the Partnership, said: “This is extremely concerning news which needs some answers for parents.
“It’s hard to understand why this is necessary, since the previous administration was investing significant sums to increase the recruitment and training of teachers in Aberdeenshire.”
And SNP leader Richard Thomson said it was “outrageous” the administration did not disclose the plans.
He added: “This news will be extremely concerning to parents – particularly those of children at Aberdeenshire’s rural schools which already appear to be in the new administration’s sights and which after these changes, may not have the capacity even in their core staff to deliver on these aspects of the curriculum.
However council leader Jim Gifford has hit back at the opposition over their comments about school closures and now staffing.
He added: “It is quite incredible that our only Labour councillor is siding with the SNP on this one. These changes have been under discussion for years – and for most of the last two years she was in charge of the education service.”
Last night Vincent Docherty, Aberdeenshire’s head of secondary education and additional support, said the move is part of an on-going process to “evolve” and improve schooling in the north-east.
He added: “The letter to visiting specialists is to invite them to attend a briefing session to discuss both individual and service options. There is no threat to any individual teacher.”
