Arbon
More efficient, more powerful and maybe even cheaper: Why the CVP and EPP want to break up the old structures with four school communities and one political community
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Large parts of the parliament would like to know from the city council what it thinks of the idea of a unified community, i.e. the large amalgamation of the political community and the school communities in Arbon. The ten most important questions and answers.
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Picture of the secondary school in Stacherholz: CVP and EPP want to bring the school communities and the political community together under the umbrella of a unified community.
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What is a unified church?
This is understood to mean the union of the political community and the school community or, if necessary, the local school communities. So there is only one body that takes on all tasks.
Who is behind the plans?
City parliamentarians from the ranks of the CVP and the EPP have taken the initiative. At the last session of Parliament, you tabled a proposal that required the city council to examine the formation of a unified congregation. The cause enjoys broad support. 27 of the 30 parliamentarians signed the so-called postulate.
Why should Arbon become a unified church?
The structures in Arbon are complicated. There is one political parish, three primary school parishes and one secondary school parish. Those responsible would do a great and excellent job. Nevertheless, it could not go on like this, argue the initiators of the initiative. The work in the respective committees has become more demanding, time-consuming and complex. The consequence of this is that the responsible bodies have to call in more and more expensive external specialists for expertise, concepts, advice and other things. In addition, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find members of the authorities.
What are the advantages of a unified church?
In the opinion of the initiators, more efficiency, synergy gains and cost optimization are three reasons for a system change. In addition, the concerns of the schools would be given more weight to the canton, the know-how could be bundled, and there would be specialization in all areas.
What do the bodies concerned say about the plans?
Nothing is officially known yet. The CVP / EPP Group has deliberately not yet spoken to the relevant authorities about the issue. It is unofficially known that the sensitivities are different. While the authority of the primary school community in Arbon, for example, is generally open to discussions about new forms of organization for school communities, others tend to be opposed to such ideas and a unified community in particular.
Can the secondary school community even belong to a single community in Arbon?
Not in its current form. Because in a unified congregation, the areas of the political commune and the school communes must coincide. Roggwil also belongs to the secondary school community of Arbon.
Seven years ago, the CVP called for the Arbon school communities to be united in a so-called primary school community. At the time, however, they did not want to know anything about a merger. Why did they say no then?
Reason: The cooperation works well and reorganization would be costly and complicated. In addition, the bottom line would be that the merger could be a loss-making business because the canton’s contributions could be significantly lower.
Why should the school communities lend a hand today for even more extensive cooperation?
In an internal workshop recently, all members of the group from CVP and EPP agreed that the current school organization in Arbons had to be reviewed, say the two parties. The need has become even greater with the revised Contribution Act, which has been in force since January 2020. “Above all, it puts our primary schools under financial pressure,” writes the parliamentary group on request. “We are convinced that all those involved could only benefit from the formation of a unified church.”
Romanshorn and Egnach have already had the same discussion. What did you get out of it?
In 2017, the city and the school communities in Romanshorn examined the formation of a unified community at the request of the FDP. On the basis of a report by the Arbon consultant Christoph Tobler, they rejected the request. Reason: too complicated and unnecessary because there would be hardly any synergy effects. Tobler stated: “All possible positive effects are put into perspective by the fact that the secondary school cannot be included.” It also includes the municipality of Salmsach. In Egnach the impetus for the big union also came from the liberals. The school board voted unanimously against the merger. A unified congregation brings no advantages for school challenges and leads to a loss of autonomy. In addition, there is a risk that education will lose importance. Synergy effects are small. Significant cost savings are not to be expected. The FDP then passed the ball to the political community. This has not accepted him to this day. The local council is of the opinion that such a project must be supported by the school authorities. “Otherwise it has no chance,” says mayor Stephan Tobler.
What’s next in Arbon?
The city council has to give its opinion to parliament by the next but one session, which is scheduled for September. Parliament then has to decide whether to hold on to its demand or to drop it. If a majority wants to clarify the matter in more depth, the city council has six months to provide the necessary basis for decision-making.
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