The post was advertised this week in the specialist education press and on a networking website.
The advert posted on LinkedIn stated that the salary for the job of executive director of education would range from £160,556.08 to £177,501.59 with the post located in Glasgow city centre with the closing date for applications Sunday, January 25 this year.
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A spokesperson for the teachers’ union the Educational Institute of Scotland pointed to arguments made by Cosla over budget pressures in pay negotiations and by the council when it planned to axe hundreds of teachers.
“Clearly, it is for Glasgow City Council to set the salary level for its senior posts, based on the skills and responsibilities associated with that post,” said an EIS spokeswoman.
“It is also for the council to justify its decision making in this regard, to its residents and taxpayers.
“Cosla on behalf of all local authorities repeatedly cited lack of affordability as a reason not to meet the Teachers’ Side pay claim for this year and not to implement the promise to reduce teacher workload by reducing class contact time.
“Glasgow City Council has been highlighting budget pressures in recent years, and has been seeking to make savings including in cuts to education, including significant job losses.
“In this context, it is right that there is appropriate scrutiny on all aspects of Council decision-making and expenditure, with an emphasis on protecting core front-line services including education provision, and on fair pay and conditions for all education staff.”
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Shadow cabinet secretary for education and skills Scottish Conservative MSP Miles Briggs said: “It’s extraordinary to see this eye-watering salary being offered for this bureaucratic role against a backdrop of years of SNP cuts to education in Glasgow.
“This is sadly typical of the nationalists’ focus on funding quangos and associated roles, rather than ensuring resources are being used to support frontline teaching in the city’s classrooms.”
Scottish Labour local government spokesperson Mark Griffin MSP said: “This is an eyewatering salary, which will certainly raise questions at a time when local government budgets are under severe pressure.
“It will also undoubtedly raise eyebrows among hard-working teaching staff in Glasgow, who just last year had to force the council into a U-turn over its proposals to cut 450 jobs.”
He also said the salary was being offered at at time when education standards were falling and teacher numbers dropping across the country.
“We know that the workforce across Scotland is already facing significant challenges, with nearly 1,700 fewer teachers now than when the SNP first came to power in 2007,” he said.
“There has also been an 18-point drop in PISA scores for maths, an 11-point drop in reading, and a 7-point drop in science in schools since 2018, while the attainment gap remains stubbornly high.
“Anyone being paid this sum of money as director of education will need to deliver in improving standards and addressing these issues, if they are to represent any sort of value for money.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP said: “This isn’t a good look for the SNP-run Glasgow city council.
“At a time when teachers are struggling with a range of challenges and pressures, the SNP are inspiring very little confidence that they can help them.
“We need a realistic plan that will give teachers the support they need so that every child gets the best start in life.”
The advert for the post on LinkedIn stated: “Scotland’s largest local authority is seeking an exceptional leader to join us as Executive Director of Education.
“This is a unique opportunity to shape and deliver our vision for Glasgow as a world-class learning city – where every learner can participate, and where all can thrive, flourish, and achieve in our schools and nurseries. Your leadership will be pivotal in improving outcomes for every child and young person across the city.
“In Glasgow, we are ambitious for every learner. Equity is at the heart of everything we do, and we measure success by the impact of our collective efforts to remove barriers to learning, including those created by poverty.”
The advert added that the post-holder would report directly to the council’s chief executive, and would be responsible for “overseeing 330 schools and nurseries that serve more than 80,000 children and young people.”
It added: “You will lead a workforce of over 10,500 staff and services worth in excess of £700 million, while contributing to the Council’s strategic objectives as a key member of the Corporate Leadership Team.”
The position of executive director of education became vacant after Dr Douglas Hutchison stepped down from the role in October last year.
He resigned over sending text messages that could have undermined the local authority’s budget process.
Dr Hutchison responded to text messages about the 2024/2025 budget from a councillor in the spring of 2024.
The city council said these messages “may have strayed into potentially undermining the council’s budget process”.
Dr Hutchison, who had been in the post since January 2022, offered his resignation after discussing the situation with the council’s chief executive Susanne Millar.
Glasgow City Council said at the time while there was nothing wrong with council officers offering advice across the chamber, some of the messages had potentially breached rules.
John McGhee, headteacher at St Andrew’s Secondary School, was announced as the interim executive Director of Education in the city, the local authority announced in November.
Planned teacher strikes in Glasgow were cancelled in February last year after councillors backed down on planned cuts.
Glasgow City Council had been planning to cut 450 teaching posts over a three-year period as part of a wider savings drive.
The EIS union had argued this would lead to a drop in standards and increased workloads on staff, with a walkout planned for February 20 last year.
However, the union received a letter from SNP councillors pledging to withdraw future planned education cuts, and containing a promise that additional Scottish Government funding will be used to increase the number of teachers working in Glasgow’s schools to 2023 levels.
It was reported in February last year that £17m will be found elsewhere to fund the reversal.
A spokeswoman for Glasgow city council said: “We are looking for an exceptional leader to manage over 300 schools and nurseries and support the learning and teaching of more than 70,000 children and young people in our city, allowing them to thrive and achieve their aspirations.
“The Executive Director of Education also manages a budget of more than £800 million.”