Furtwangen Seeks Community Participation in School Renovation: Ruling Requires Surrounding Municipalities to Contribute

The basis for this claim is a ruling by the Baden-Württemberg Administrative Court. According to this ruling, which was presented at the local council meeting in Furtwangen by lawyer Niels Kadisch, the surrounding communities are obliged to contribute to renovations and expansions of the school. According to the school law, the municipalities are the school authorities. This obligation to sponsor the school does not expire if another municipality, in this case Furtwangen, covers the needs with its school. Furtwangen now wants to conclude a public law agreement with the municipalities for financial participation in the renovation and expansion of the Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium with secondary school (OHG). If they do not agree to such an agreement, it could also be ordered by the school supervisory authority. The renovation of the OHG incurred costs of around 22.5 million euros. After deducting the five million euro funding, 17 million euros remain. Around five percent of this will be deducted as a “location advantage” for Furtwangen. The municipalities now have to agree on a distribution key.