CASH-strapped schools have been warned to urgently review their budgets and make "difficult decisions" after learning there is no extra money coming.
The Department of Education has again cautioned schools about going into deficit while telling them there will be no more funding to tackle "additional pressures".
The departments's finance director Gary Fair wrote to schools after the 2018/19 budget announcement.
Although next year's education pot is increasing by 4.3 per cent, this is only when compared to last year's baseline budget. An extra £80m was found during monitoring rounds. This means the 2018/19 budget is "a flat cash allocation" - exactly the same as 2017/18.
Many schools are already struggling to stay in the black.
Head teachers warned that they had been plunged into a financial crisis after having their spending plans rejected. The Education Authority refused to authorise budgets for 632 schools after they were unable to show how they could avoid going into the red.
Failure to have a plan approved effectively means that schools have no approval to spend all the money they need to spend.
The majority goes towards salaries for teachers and non-teaching staff. Financial plans also factor in sick leave cover costs, assessments and maintenance.
Schools are struggling to tighten their belts because millions of pounds have been taken out of the system.
It is estimated that more than 300 schools are a deficit in the current financial year. In addition, those that have been saving money are seeing their surpluses being reduced.
In his letter, Mr Fair wrote the outcome for education was "challenging and some very difficult decisions have had to be taken".
"While the department has been able to maintain the total schools' budget in cash terms at £1,167.5m, it has not been possible to fund the additional pressures facing schools in 2018/19," he wrote.
"In addition, all school budgets must be managed on the assumption that there will be no further in-year allocations from the department during 2018/19.
"It is important that firm financial management and budgetary discretion is applied and that you take immediate action to review your school's budget position, to enable difficult decisions to be taken now to ensure that you live within your allocation for 2018/19."
There have been warnings that the entire education system is facing a funding gap of £350m by 2020.
A Department of Finance paper has made recommendations on where money could be saved. This includes training fewer teachers, increasing university fees, ending Educational Maintenance Allowances and means-testing transport.
