Negotiations between parties of the ruling coalition and other involved sides have reached a point when it is possible to see a potential agreement on the school network and financing reform. The plan now includes the creation of a new investment fund. Initially it is planned to provide the fund with EUR 75 million, as participants of negotiations mentioned after a meeting on Tuesday, the 27th of February.
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa said after a meeting of the coalition that on the 4th of March it is planned to return to this matter to decide how to progress forward with changes to the financing model of Latvian schools.
Recently there were negotiations held with municipalities. According to the PM, negotiations were necessary because it was important to listen to the needs of municipalities. Several municipalities mentioned a need for negotiations with certain counties about certain schools. It is planned to continue negotiations this week. Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Environment Protection and Regional Development are to take charge of this process.
Siliņa claims there are municipalities that want to go through with the school network reform. According to them, the new financing model will serve as a way “to better develop and secure education” and to attract teaching staff.
Minister of Education and Science Anda Čakša said the ministry will offer municipalities to get involved in the reform voluntarily this year. The next year and the year after that, however, they will be obligated to adopt the new financing model. The minister said discussions will continue about the transition period – a year or two.
Čakša said there are municipalities in Latvia that have made the decision to reorganise their school ecosystem and are now prepared to adopt the new financing model starting with September 2024.
Union of Greens and Farmers member and Minister of Economy Viktors Valainis put emphasis on the creation of a new investment fund starting next year in order to support municipalities in their efforts to form a new school network. The initial funding planned is EUR 75 million. Still, the exact amount may yet be adjusted based on the municipalities’ practical needs.
Siliņa said additional support for municipal infrastructure is a matter that should be addressed in the context of the state budget. The politician said that parties will return to negotiations about investments into municipalities next Monday.
Valainis believes negotiations so far have given a very positive result – “the spirit of the search for common ground” can be seen. As for certain municipalities, however, ministers will work together with municipalities to find a compromise, said the ZZS politician.
“We can see it is possible an agreement will be reached. Today we spoke about a completely different model,” said Valainis, adding that in the new variant it is planned to respect the needs of municipal countryside territories for investments and the need for schools.
According to the report from the Ministry of Education and Science “Complex solutions for the provision of high-quality education in general primary and secondary education”, the primary criterion for the new school network will be the number of pupils.
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Latvian government progresses with potential agreement on school network reform
