Before school starts

Expensive surprise for parents with school fees

The monastery school in Neusiedl am See is a popular educational institution in the district.(Bild: Charlotte Titz)

Trouble in the municipality of Winden am See before the start of the school year: in future, parents will have to pay 166 euros a month if their child attends the Kloster-Mittelschule.

There was a nasty surprise for many parents in Winden am See shortly before the start of the new school year. They were informed by a letter from Kloster-Mittelschule Neusiedl am See that from September, parents will be charged a monthly school fee of 166 euros. An additional burden that came as a complete surprise to many families. For those affected, the announcement has certainly caused anger.

Unanimous decision in the local council
The background to the letter is that the Kloster-Mittelschule is a private institution. According to Winden's mayor Erwin Preiner (SPÖ), the municipality has always covered part of the costs in the past. At a municipal council meeting in July, a unanimous decision was made to stop payment until further notice. As reported, the municipality is struggling with financial challenges. Preiner also refers to the current budget situation in this context. Around ten to 15 children from Winden are affected by this.

Public schools as an alternative
The head of the town emphasizes that the contribution was purely voluntary. "We are not legally obliged to do so, as it is a private school," says Preiner. In other municipalities, too, there is only partial or no funding for school fees. There are also two public schools in Neusiedl am See as an alternative.

Criticism of late information
Meanwhile, ÖVP community leader Lisa Reuter criticizes the fact that parents were only informed so late and only by the school management, although the decision had already been made in July.

Letter to parents
Preiner justifies this with vacation and sick leave in the community. Yesterday, Friday, information was sent to the parents concerned. There had also already been a letter from the political competitor. Should the financial situation improve again, it would be possible to resume funding, according to Preiner.