More than half of Denmark’s municipalities are planning cuts to their public schools in the coming budgets, including school closures, larger classes and fewer teachers.
The Danish newspaper Arbejderen reports that school cuts are on the table in 60 percent of the country’s municipalities. The finding is based on the local savings catalogues, known as sparekataloger, drawn up ahead of the coming municipal budgets.
According to Arbejderen, the measures under consideration include closing schools, increasing class sizes and reducing the number of teachers. The paper links the proposals to tight municipal budgets across the country.
What a savings catalogue is
A savings catalogue is a list of possible reductions prepared by a municipal administration. It is handed to local politicians as material for their budget negotiations. Each item is a proposal, not a decision.
Denmark has 98 municipalities, and they run the country’s folkeskole system. That makes schools one of the largest areas of municipal spending, and a recurring target when councils look for savings.
Arbejderen’s review indicates that the proposals are not confined to a single region. Cuts to the school area appear in catalogues in a majority of municipalities, according to the paper.
Danish municipal budgets for the following year are negotiated in the late summer and autumn. The budgets are adopted by the local councils in October. Until then, the scope of any school cuts remains open.
Which proposals survive the negotiations is decided by each city council. Items in a savings catalogue can be adopted in full, scaled back or dropped entirely during the process.
Arbejderen bases its account on the catalogues themselves rather than on final budget agreements. The paper reports the share of municipalities where school reductions are being considered, without stating how many schools would ultimately close.
School closures, larger classes and fewer teaching positions are the three measures named in the reporting. Arbejderen ties all three to the budget pressure facing municipalities as they prepare for the coming year.
