This autumn, school closures have affected many municipalities and regions. Like many others, Vågan municipality in Lofoten also has a miserable economy. Towards the end of October, it became known that the politicians in the municipality are therefore considering closing the brand new school on Gimsøy. But on Monday came the good news for everyone who uses the school, which cost NOK 87 million: Gimsøy is protected by municipal director Tommy Stensvik … … and proposes to close down Strauman, which is only five years old. – So underfunded that it’s embarrassing It’s not just easy to create a balanced budget when you’re the municipal director in Vågan municipality. Last year, the municipality had a deficit of NOK 71 million, and this year they are heading for another NOK 40 million in the red. Consequently, they are well accommodated on the Robek list. It doesn’t help much with brands like Svolværgeita when the wallet is completely empty. Photo: Trygve Sæten Nilsen/Forsvaret It has gotten so bad that earlier this summer it was suggested to take the dessert from the municipality’s dementia patient. Thus, it was on the cards that schools could be proposed to be closed down to make ends meet. So now the manager is proposing to close down the Strauman childcare centre, which cost NOK 36 million just five years ago. – It is somewhat as expected. The municipality is in an extremely difficult situation and everything must be looked at. But we will spend until next week familiarizing ourselves with what has been presented. This is what Mayor Vidar Thom Benjaminsen (H) says to news. The mayor will probably have to cut more than he wants. Photo: Trude Furuly / news – Is it paradoxical that it is proposed to close down schools that are barely five years old? – Yes, but something has happened to the income base around Kommune-Norway, perhaps especially in Nordland. You no longer have the opportunity to solve things for the good of the citizens. You have to make drastic choices across the board, he says. The mayor refers to Bærum municipality, where it has been proposed to close schools, libraries, kindergartens and nursing homes. – It says something when Norway’s richest municipality has to look at school structure. Kommune-Norge is so severely underfunded that it is embarrassing. But the municipalities have no choice. – Yatzy in the municipality – We think it is not serious. Hedda Greger-Pettersen, head of Strauman FAU, is ready in her speech. Closing down a school that is five years old is a bad idea, she believes. – It’s almost like they play yatzy in the municipality. They throw dice into the air and see where they land, she says and refers to the fact that there have been a number of proposals on how to save the municipal economy. It may go without saying, but the FAU leader wants the Strauman Center for Childhood Education to remain as it is today. Photo: Private The FAU leader emphasizes that many families have expected that the area would be attractive for years to come, largely because of the rhetoric from the municipality. – We feel that they are breaking a social contract when they suddenly close down. We will be stuck in a financial trap, we will probably have problems selling the houses, she says and adds: – Now we may have to move. Used over 50 million. at cod museum – But you live in a municipality that is completely broke. What is the solution? asks the news FAU leader. – To a certain extent, this is a national problem, it is not just Vågan municipality that is struggling. Parts of this must be solved with more money for the municipalities, replies Greger-Pettersen. She also believes that local priorities could have been set differently. – More than NOK 50 million has been allocated to build the Skrei museum. It makes no sense to spend money on it, while it cuts into growth and health. Vågan municipality has set aside NOK 56 million for a museum about the skrei. Photo: LPO arkitekter In September, it became clear that the government is giving roughly NOK 50 million to the SKREI project in Kabelvåg. Here, the history of dry fish and the importance of Lofoten fish will be highlighted. From before, Vågan municipality has entered into the project with NOK 56 million. Now only the same amount remains from Nordland county council before the project is fully funded. – A timely question – It is a timely question, says mayor Benjaminsen on the criticism from the FAU leader. – But the Skrei grant was made earlier, before the chaos became a really big chaos. The mayor believes the museum will facilitate development in Kabelvåg, an area that has lost jobs, been neglected and needs a boost. – The museum is essential for the development of Kabelvåg. The Strauman childcare center was built in 2019, but is proposed to be closed from 1 August next year. Photo: Trude Furuly / news He also says that if the project is to be compared to the schools, one must look at the annual cost to the municipality. For the museum, it amounts to approximately NOK 1.7 million each year for Vågan municipality. Closing schools, as the director of the municipality has proposed, will save the municipality approximately NOK 8 million annually. – But I understand very well that it will come up, says Benjaminsen. Money, not students, is the problem Strauman School is likely to fill most of the places in the years ahead. The mayor emphasizes that it is not a few students who are the main problem. – We have money. Over the past three years, costs have skyrocketed, while income has not kept up. The student numbers are roughly the same as three years ago, and then we had a good result. But in the last three or four years, things have become more difficult for the municipalities. – Is it inevitable that the school will be closed? – Actually, I shouldn’t say that for sure. Vågan municipality has never had a political majority with a desire for permanent changes in the school structure. Whether we have it now or not is very uncertain. Published 13.11.2024, at 23.07
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