Parents in Hjørring are taking to the streets on Wednesday against proposed school cuts, as the city council holds the first reading of the municipality’s budget.
According to reporting by DR, parents will gather in Hjørring later today in connection with a city council meeting. The demonstration is directed at planned savings in the municipality’s school area. It follows similar protests in Middelfart and on Mors earlier this week.
Hjørring Municipality is looking at finding around 85 million kroner on the Children, Leisure and Education area. Demonstration organizer Kirstine Fruergaard Dahl Møller told DR that parts of the savings would hit the core task for children in the schools. Per her account, there is no room for further cuts in the area.
NordsøPosten reports that two separate parent demonstrations were announced in the town. They start from Muldbjergskolen and Lundergårdskolen at 17:00 and march to Hjørring City Hall. As noted by the outlet, the council begins its first reading of the 2027 budget at 18:00.
In Middelfart, around 100 parents turned up on Monday to stop a larger school merger, according to DR. The merger was dropped, but more than 10 million kroner must still be saved in the area over the next two years. On Tuesday, local politicians on Mors moved their council meeting to the local arena because of a large parent demonstration.
Teachers’ union and local committee chair
Gordon Ørskov Madsen, chairman of Danmarks Lærerforening, said he understands the parents’ frustrations. As stated by him to DR, the limit for securing good teaching has been exceeded in many places. He pointed to school closures, larger classes and fewer teachers, which leave pupils with less time and help.
Lone Olsen of Venstre chairs the Children, Leisure and Education committee in Hjørring Municipality. She described the proposals in the school area as a catalogue of horrors. Per her comments to DR, the savings would be severe if all of them were adopted as they stand.
Olsen said Venstre will aim to protect as much as possible in the school area during the negotiations. She also noted that a large group of politicians must agree on a budget.
DR notes that the protests come while several municipalities have school savings on the table in their budget negotiations. At the same time, politicians at Christiansborg have held crisis press conferences about weak PISA results and want to send more money to the folkeskole.
The demonstration in Hjørring takes place as the council opens its budget process for the coming period. The size of the final savings in the school area will depend on the negotiations between the parties on the council.
