Teachers in Madrid plan second round of strikes

Secondary school teachers in Madrid have called for another three days of strikes in protest of education cutbacks planned by the regional authority in the Spanish capital. Education unions have called on their members to go on a strike on October 4, 5 and 20, after thousands of teachers, parents and schoolchildren marched through Madrid last week. A new demonstration has been planned to take place in the center of Madrid on October 4, while teachers will hand a letter to regional President, Esperanza Aguirre on the same day to ask for a reopening of talks. Teachers are angry at cuts of 80 million euros in the education budget, an increased in the number of classroom hours from 18 to 20, as well as job cuts of over 1,000 classroom assistants. The decision of Aguirre's administration to offer tax breaks for parents who send their children to private schools further fueled their dissatisfaction. Parents whose children are in private schools and academies can see up to 900 euros taken off from their tax bill to cover expenses such as fees and school uniforms. Education unions estimated that the decision could cost the Madrid Regional Authority around 90 million euros a year, 10 million more than what could be saved by the cutbacks in public education.