The sum that is added to the school varies greatly between municipalities today. In 2023, the total cost ranged from 113,000 kronor to 191,000 kronor per student and year.
It's not reasonable. There needs to be more order in the school system and the state's control over the financing needs to increase, said Education Minister Lotta Edholm (L) when she received Lena Holmdahl's report.
Lena Holmdahl's assignment has therefore been to propose a "nationally binding school grant norm", a state-set minimum level for different types of municipalities.
Too large an intervention
But the investigation ends up with the fact that it would be too large an intervention in the municipal self-government, and instead proposes a "guiding norm" - a recommendation.
At a press conference, Lena Holmdahl, education director in Stockholm municipality, explained that a binding norm would also mean very large changes – cost increases of possibly 50,000 kronor per student and year – on short notice for some municipalities, without it being clear that it would affect the quality of the service.
I therefore do not consider it reasonable to implement a binding norm now, says Lena Holmdahl.
Constant readiness
Regarding the free schools, a reduction in compensation of 6 percent is therefore proposed. The reason why municipalities should be able to reduce the school grant to free schools is that municipalities have a special responsibility to be able to receive new students at all times. Yet, municipalities with the current system have to pay the same amount in compensation per student to free schools as they themselves set aside.
From Almega education, a warning has been issued that a reduced compensation of 6 percent would mean the end for many free schools.
Read the report, and then we can have a discussion, comments Lena Holmdahl.
Lotta Edholm says:
The proposal is based on the idea that free schools should be paid for the task they have, not for what they don't have.
When asked what the education minister thinks about the investigation not proposing any binding rules for what municipalities must put on their schools, Lotta Edholm says:
It's no secret that the Liberals want to nationalize the responsibility for the school, but the proposals are important steps in that work.
