The State's 470 Catholic secondary schools are considering legal action against the Government because they claim they are penalised in the allocation of funds. The schools claim they have fallen behind community or comprehensive schools and those controlled by vocational education committees when it comes to per pupil grants.
At the annual conference of their representative group - the Association of Management of Catholic Secondary Schools - delegates were told that community or comprehensive schools get £100 more per pupil than Catholic secondary schools.
Speaking at the conference in Galway, AMCSS vice-president Mr Fergus Dunne said VEC schools were even further ahead of Catholic secondary schools.
AMCSS general secretary Mr George O'Callaghan said the association was currently taking legal advice on whether such an unequal system of school funding was constitutional. The basis for the challenge would be that children in different schools are being funded on an unequal basis.
The AMCSS is one of the most influential bodies in the education sector and sits on most of the important Department of Education committees. It has been raising its profile in recent years and the seeking of a new funding mechanism is one of its greatest concerns. The group represents boards of management and principals and deputy principals.
The association has pointed out that a recent report on second-level funding, commissioned by the Government, showed wide discrepancies in school funding. However, Mr O'Callaghan said the Government had yet to take action to deal with it.
The association is also considering refusing to implement new programmes from the Department of Education and Science. Delegates passed a unanimous motion mandating their executive to use "all means at its disposal" to have the funding system changed.
The delegates expressed concern in particular at how the current system disadvantages them in relation to caretaking and secretarial staff. Some delegates wanted boards of management to refuse to open schools in September until the Department introduced some reforms.