(UK) BBC: Northern Ireland education system spending more, still facing 'significant challenges"

July 18, 2019, BBC News: Education system financial challenges 'significant' https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-49023718 Northern Ireland's education system is facing "significant" financial challenges. The political impasse at Stormont has also stopped the implementation of a number of key education policies. The top official at the Department of Education, Derek Baker, made the comments in the accounts for 2018-19. He said that there was currently insufficient funding to allow more shared campus schemes to progress. The accounts also reveal that Education Authority again overspent its budget in 2018-19, this time by £15m [$19M U.S.]…. Mr Baker also said that schools were facing "widely acknowledged" financial pressures, as was education as a whole. "The 2019-20 budget is effectively a real-term reduction and therefore some very difficult decisions had to be taken." The department spent almost £2.2bn in resource and capital in 2018-19, similar to 2017-18. Just under £1.15bn went directly to schools, which was around £40m less than in 2017-18. The Education Authority received £629m to provide services to schools - including transport, meals and maintenance - and support for children with special educational needs.