At the most recent session of the City Council, Jacek Dudyński, chief specialist in the City Hall’s Social Affairs Department, presented councillors with a plan to merge two schools: Primary School No. 2 (Bankowa Street) and Municipal Middle School No. 3 (Słowackiego Street). Internet users started a discussion on the forum, where they expressed concern about the continued employment of teachers without permanent employment contracts, fears of staff layoffs in the merged schools, and budget cuts announced by the government.
Beata Sulska, head of the Social Affairs Department, assures that there will be no teacher layoffs in Bolesławiec. “This is our priority, and it guides our actions. At the most recent meeting with school principals, the mayor guaranteed that teachers would keep their jobs,” the department head reassures. “I have also heard that teachers are afraid of losing their jobs, but this may simply be concern related to the new plans to create a municipal school complex.”
The new school complex would in fact mean an increase, rather than a reduction, in the number of classes and the possibility of finding additional teaching hours for teachers at one school or the other. “This does not mean closing either institution. Only their organisation will change,” explains Jacek Dudyński. “Most likely, after creating this school complex, we will transfer only children with disabilities who use wheelchairs to the middle school on Słowackiego Street. Until now, they had to be carried to other floors because the building on Bankowa Street does not have an elevator. Both buildings will operate as schools.”
The merger of the two schools is only a plan for now. First, the principals must present their proposals, which will be analysed by the Social Affairs Department. Only after the founding act has been drawn up will the proposal return to the City Council for consideration. The councillors will then decide whether such an institution will be established. There are not yet any precise dates for merging the primary and middle schools. The Social Affairs Department is talking about September this year, or even the following calendar year.
There will be neither a school closure nor a reduction of the teaching staff, nor will children be crowded into one of the buildings, as anonymous forum users have written. But the teachers’ concern is justified. “Gazeta Prawna” reports that government budget cuts may hit this professional group hard. There are municipalities in Poland that are closing schools. In Bolesławiec, however, the authorities assure residents that this will not happen. One thing is certain: if any students are considering studying education, they should think very carefully about that decision.
(information from Grażyna Hanaf)