Parents of students from the now-closed Metsküla Elementary School in Lääneranna Parish are continuing their legal battle in the district court against the closure of the municipal school, while simultaneously preparing to establish a private school in Metsküla.

The founders of the private school aim to open it this fall and thus had to submit an application to the Ministry of Education and Research five months before the start of the new academic year.

According to Silvia Lotman, a parent involved in the school's creation, they are now responding to questions received from the ministry.

The Lääneranna Municipality Council recently decided to charge the private school a monthly rent of €1,000 for the use of the Metsküla school building and its equipment. Lotman mentioned that the rental agreement has not yet been signed because the founders of the Metsküla private school want to negotiate additional details in the contract.

"There are various questions: exactly how and from what date the contract would start and end. We would like the contract to last for five academic years, from one academic year to the next, and not to end in the middle of an academic year. Naturally, the price is also a topic. We are waiting to see how the local government will respond," Lotman explained.

On February 20, the Tallinn Administrative Court ruled that if Lääneranna Municipality does not have sufficient funds to operate Metsküla Elementary School, it cannot maintain what is considered an ideal school network. This ruling affirmed the decision of Lääneranna Municipality, which the parents had contested, to close Metsküla Elementary School.

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