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Schools are asking Minister Wiersma for an “unintended discount” of 600 million NOW

Primary school councils are asking for € 600 million from Minister Dennis Wiersma (Education). They announced this on Tuesday during a hearing at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). The schools speak of “a great act of disappearance”.

In total there are 232 schools. The councils are working together and have instructed the Stibbe law firm to formally submit their application to the Wiersma Ministry.

NU.nl reported start this year on the fact that primary schools are missing hundreds of millions of euros. This is a complex issue in which it is not yet clear whether intention is involved. In conclusion, primary schools will receive more than € 600 million less from the government.

The umbrella organization PO Council, which assists schools in their application, speaks of “unintentional discount”.

“For schools, these are heavy euros,” says attorney Tom Barkhuysen of the Stibbe law firm in an explanation. During Tuesday’s hearing, he and his colleague Sofja Goldstein reasoned the schools case with education officials.

Barkhuysen speaks of “a great act of disappearance”. “This cabinet says that primary schools need more money, but at the same time too little money is being transferred. This is unsaleable,” the lawyer said.

Wiersma has always maintained that not one euro less goes to education. “In twelve months you will get the same as you had before,” she told NU.nl earlier this year.

Barkhuysen questions this. In a letter to school boards a year ago, the ministry writes that government contributions to schools will decline “once in the last five months of fiscal 2022,” and school boards are therefore left with a financial hole.

“The problem is acknowledged with this,” the lawyer said.

The ministry has been asked for an answer, but has not yet provided it.

Simplification goes wrong

The ministry has simplified the way primary schools are financed. This is necessary, according to the schools themselves. But in the eyes of the school boards, a mistake has been made in switching to this other funding system.

The schools receive money from the central government every year. They can then spend it at their discretion on, for example, ventilation, wages or teaching materials.

Schools receive a portion of their money each month, but not the same amount each month. In the first five months of the school year, from August to December, schools receive a little less money.

In the last seven months of the school year, from January to July, schools receive compensation for it and therefore receive a little more money each month.

From next year, the cabinet wants to change this, so that schools receive the same amount every month.

The problem, according to school administrators, is that from January to July next year there are no more allowances, while in the first part of the school year they received less.

This saves over € 600 million for the 2022/23 school year. For the 232 opposing schools, this is a deficit of about 270 million euros.

Initially, the funding gap was 500 million euros, but due to higher wages in primary education, this amount has increased in a short time.

Vrije School Breda fears that the teachers will leave

The schools say they are in trouble now. As a result, the Vrije Breda school, for example, has a deficit of almost 70,000 euros.

“If we lose this money, we will have to let go of a substitute teacher next year. We really need him, because we will grow up next year,” says Johan van Knijff, director of Vrije School Breda and the umbrella foundation for marked education.

“The Vrije school in Breda is not that big. Those 70,000 euros represent about 10 percent of our annual salary costs. This has a huge impact,” says Knijff. You were also present today at the audience of the ministry.

In the rigid labor market and with a shortage of teachers, it is already extremely difficult to recruit enough staff, says the school administrator. If the decision is not reversed, Knijff fears that teachers may leave the education sector for good.

“Do your best to get money”

Knijff was under the impression that ministry officials wanted to help find a solution, although he also felt that the school board’s request was not understood.

“I don’t care how we get our money as long as the government pays,” says Knijff.

Time is running out, attorney Barkhuysen knows. “Schools have to finalize their budget for next year in November. Before that, we want to know if there will be a solution.”

The request is now up to Minister Wiersma, he has to make a decision about it.

One thing is certain for Knijff: “As directors, we are obliged to do our utmost to get that money.”

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