The school is a workplace for teachers and a cost for the commune

Closing a school is one of the most difficult decisions for local-government authorities. That is why consultations with the parents of children whose school is being closed are so important. It is worth emphasising, however, that public schools are not—despite appearances—places where children are the priority and the focus. They are merely workplaces for adults, financed from commune budgets and subsidised from the state budget. Therefore, when the commune’s money and an economic approach to spending it are at stake, children and their well-being are not taken into account.

Parents who learned about the closure of grades 1–3 in Modła are outraged. They resent the commune head for not consulting them about his decisions. In an email to the editorial office, they wrote:

“On 15 November 2023, the parents learned that the commune head intended to close the school in Modła. The parents were surprised and outraged because nobody had consulted them. In the 2023/24 school year, a first grade was established, and now suddenly they are closing the school because they want to create a preschool. That is all right, but why is everything happening without consulting the parents and teachers? When the commune head obtained all the approvals for establishing the preschool, only then did he come to the parents and announce that a preschool would be created. The parents do not agree with this. They want the classes to be phased out. They want their children to finish school and only then for the preschool to be established. Unfortunately, the commune head stands by his decision and claims that the councillors have already passed a resolution. The parents want to fight for their rights and publicise the matter!”

In response to the parents’ dissatisfaction, Ryszard Kawka cites several figures showing how maintaining grades 1–3 in Modła is disadvantageous for the commune budget.

“Currently, 19 children are studying in grades 1–3 at the school in Modła,” explains Ryszard Kawka. “The number changes every year and is decreasing. The planned budget for the school in Modła for next year is PLN 1,486,873.32, while the draft budget for the school in Gromadka is approximately PLN 5,956,387. The annual cost of educating one pupil at the school in Modła is PLN 78,256. By comparison, at the school in Gromadka the annual cost of educating one pupil is PLN 17,467. The education subsidy amounts to PLN 6,898.69 per child per year. The costs borne by the local government are now clear. The conclusion is obvious,” adds the commune head.

The majority choose the school in Gromadka

The commune head wants to equip the school in Gromadka further. It is more economical and more often chosen by parents as their children’s school.

“Parents choose the school in Gromadka because it is very well equipped,” says the commune head. “It has spacious classrooms, two sports halls, wide corridors and an indoor swimming pool. In September 2024, the number of children at the school in Modła may decrease radically because, from June 2024, we will open a canteen with a kitchen at the school in Gromadka. It should be added that even now a considerable number of children from the Modła school district attend the school in Gromadka. It is also significant that since 1 September 2023 we have had a new bus for transporting children to school. My actions are forward-looking and well considered. A responsible commune head must also analyse the expenses associated with maintaining such a small institution,” adds Ryszard Kawka.

The school in Modła will become a preschool and nursery

In the future, the school in Modła is to become a municipal preschool for approximately 60 children. The Children’s Club (nursery) on the ground floor of the building is to be expanded to accommodate 24 young children. This number would meet the commune’s need for nursery places.

“It should be mentioned that, during the renovation work on the building in Modła, all comments from the State Fire Service and the Sanitary Inspectorate were taken into account, enabling a preschool to open in the facility,” the commune head emphasises. “We are applying for external funding from the Przedszkolak and Maluch programmes, which will allow us to finance the adaptation of rooms for the preschool and children’s club. The Przedszkolak programme also provides funding for maintaining the newly opened facility for the following two years. I am doing nothing behind anyone’s back and I inform the residents of Gromadka commune about my actions. I act in accordance with the law and follow the proper procedures. For now, the council has adopted a resolution on the intention to close the school. Only after receiving a positive opinion from the education superintendent will the councillors decide the fate of the school in Modła,” the commune head Kawka concludes.

Update 2023-11-23

The calculations of the cost of educating a child at the school in Modła were based by commune head Ryszard Kawka on the draft budget for 2024. When planning next year’s budget, the headmistress of the school in Modła set aside PLN 1,486,478.32 for 19 pupils. The calculations concern 2024.

The process of closing the school in Modła

Commune head Ryszard Kawka also explained the entire process of closing grades 1–3 at the school in Modła.

  • Following signals from Gromadka commune councillors about the school’s demographic situation, a resolution expressing the intention to close it was prepared.
  • On 28 September 2023, the Commune Council adopted such a resolution, with 11 votes in favour and 4 abstentions.
  • Earlier, the commune head held a meeting with the teachers at the school in Modła to present his plans to them and proposed employment at Municipal Preschool No. 2 in Modła, based at the existing school. At the meeting, only one of the female teachers indicated that she would prefer to work at a school rather than a preschool.
  • Resolution No. LXIII/482/23 of the Gromadka Commune Council concerning the intention to close the Primary School in Modła was sent to the Lower Silesian Superintendent of Education in Wrocław.
  • On 13 November 2023, the commune head received Decision No. 74/2023 from the Lower Silesian Superintendent of Education, which gave a positive opinion on the intention to close the Primary School in Modła.
  • The resolution was also sent to all trade unions with a request for their opinion on the matter.
  • On 15 November 2023, the commune head held a meeting with the parents.

Loosely paraphrasing George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, one could write that all children are important, but money from the commune budget is more important, and the superintendent’s opinion is binding for the school’s closure.

“(…) it should be recognised that the intention of the Gromadka Commune to close the Primary School in Modła is justified and correct.”

Roman Kowalczyk – Lower Silesian Superintendent of Education