Calls for refurbishment

Too little haste for dilapidated schools in the state?

The SPÖ would like to see more money invested in the refurbishment of schools in Upper Austria.(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

The SPÖ in Upper Austria would like to see more budget for the renovation of educational facilities in the state. A parliamentary question to the responsible ÖVP state councillor Christine Haberlander did not satisfy the Social Democrats, a "renovation offensive" is urgently needed.

It is as much a part of the school year as the semester break: At regular intervals, the SPÖ in the state parliament submits a written question to the responsible deputy governor Christine Haberlander (ÖVP). In it, the Social Democrats want to know what the situation is regarding the sometimes urgently needed refurbishment of schools in Upper Austria. As reported several times, a huge backlog has built up in recent years.

As Haberlander's response to this question shows, nothing has essentially changed. 155 projects are currently on hold, requiring a total investment of 486.4 million euros. Of this, 162.3 million is to come from the province of Upper Austria.

"Will take more than seven years"
However, only around 22.3 million euros have been budgeted for this in the state budget for 2025. SPÖ education spokesperson Doris Margreiter therefore doubts that Haberlander is seriously interested in completing the "school renovation backpack". "Assuming that the state provides an annual budget like this year's, it will take more than seven years for the upcoming projects to be realized," she calculates. In addition, there are currently almost 150 other school projects with a total value of 835 million euros in planning.

This approach contradicts Haberlander's much-cited goal of making Upper Austria the "No. 1 state for children". It also causes additional costs "because renovations become more expensive the longer they are delayed". Margreiter is calling for a renovation offensive - and certainly already has the next request for the upcoming summer vacations in the drawer.