The municipality of Almere must invest hundreds of millions of euros in outdated and new school buildings in the city over the next thirty years, reports Broadcasting Flevoland.
Almere is 45 years old and for the first time has to deal with school buildings that need to be renovated or replaced. In addition, the number of inhabitants in a number of residential areas is still growing and schools need to be added. The total costs can amount to 770 million euros.
Financial puzzle
The municipality is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the schools. According to Almere, the task is “hugely large” and constitutes a major drain on municipal finances. Almere will therefore investigate how the municipality can pay for it all in the coming years.
The fact that the municipality is faced with a major task only became clear when the city drew up a so-called Integrated Housing Plan for schools this year. Together with all school boards, it was finally decided which outdated primary schools should be renovated or replaced first.
Over the next fifteen years, this will be 23 primary schools in Stedenwijk, Molenbuurt, Almere Haven, Danswijk and Parkwijk. Two secondary schools will also be added. Money has now been found to replace the primary schools in Stedenwijk and a secondary school. There is no budget for the other schools yet.
Problem pushed forward
“It is an unbelievable amount of money,” Nico de Haas of the school umbrella organization Prisma Almere told Omroep Flevoland. The foundation has eighteen primary schools in the city. “I think the municipality has put the problem off and that it is now suddenly very visible. A lot will have to be discussed to get it all done,” says De Haas.
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