Tallinn circuit court throws out Virtsu school downsizing appeal
The second-tier Tallinn Circuit Court on Friday dismissed an appeal filed by the parents of a school in Pärnu County, against an earlier ruling which had allowed the school to be cut down in size to a grades 1-4 institution.
Parents of pupils at the Virtsu School, in Lääneranna Rural Municipality, filed the class action after a first-tier Tallinn Administrative Court decision upheld the Lääneranna municipality's decision to cease educational activities for grades 5-9 at the school.
The circuit court found that the municipality had provided a convincing rationale for its decision, stressing the need to optimize education sector expenses to ensure quality education and also to pay competitive wages to teachers.
The court deemed it reasonable and permissible for the municipal government to aim at cutting costs associated with maintaining and renovating school buildings, reallocating budget funds to improve learning conditions across a smaller number of schools, and offering teachers a more motivating working environment.
While the maintenance costs per student at the Virtsu school were not known to be especially high, and the teaching provided there was of a good quality, the court found that closing part of the school was an integral part of a comprehensive plan to streamline educational institutions in the municipality.
The court noted that the children of the plaintiffs are still guaranteed access to quality elementary education at a nearby municipal school, while the municipality is responsible for organizing transport to and from school in a way that ensures a reasonable commute time.
The municipal council based its decision on the fact that the number of primary school students in the municipality has halved over the past decade-and-a-half.
The court stressed that the municipality did not need to prove evidence of an exceptionally dire financial situation or the absence of other cost-saving options as a precursor to rationalizing its schools network.
The court noted that the compliance of the school network with the minimum legal requirements is already sufficient and that the assessment of the number and location of school buildings is within its competence as a municipal council.
Finally, the court stressed that Lääneranna Rural Municipality must ensure all students receive the legally required baseline level of education, including addressing the needs of students who have special educational requirements.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Mari Peegel
