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Right now, there is a query answer to the big equivalence research. It has been commissioned by the government and proposes a series of measures to reduce school segregation.
Many of these proposals have already been written by DN before, such as the English school and the National Association of Independent Schools, who did not notice the proposal to eliminate waiting time as a selection instrument.
One of the most controversial proposals It’s about reducing tuition fees for independent schools.
It is an amount that is based on the cost of a student and should be the same regardless of the school the student attends.
But given that municipal schools have greater responsibility and therefore higher costs per pupil, the research proposes reducing school fees for independent schools by as much as 10 percent.
This has caused independent schools and various advisory bodies to react.
The National Association of Independent Schools writes in its response to the query that independent school clusters depend on high school fees to be able to invest in new schools, and the Confederation of Swedish Enterprises is along the same lines.
International English school in Gubbängen.
Photo: Magnus Hallgren
If the consultation proposal is implemented Would it stop almost all the expansion of independent schools within the primary school? Anna Sörelius Nordenborg, executive director of the International English School, told DN.
At the same time, the independent, stock-owned school group reports millions of profits. The latest annual report for 2019/2020 shows that operating profit for the past year increased by 14 percent to SEK 246 million.
In last year’s annual report, the English school wrote that the high result is due to the fact that the group has found a “better balance between tuition rates and the rate of increase in teacher salaries.”
A high school fee combined with low staff costs helped the English school last year to distribute SEK 46 million in profits to the owners.
Now everyone waits for northern Europe The largest education company Academedia must submit its response to the query.
Anyone accessing the Group’s website can already read what they think about the proposed reduction in school fees.
“This will mean fewer teachers and fewer resources for children who go to an independent school,” Academedia writes.
Marcus Strömberg, who is CEO of Academedia, believes that the investigation that is on the government’s table has been miscalculated. It also refers to the law that says that all students must have the same amount no matter which principal they go to.
– The amount of tuition fees can vary today between 20 and 30 percent between two municipalities. This is because different interpretations are made of the amount of resources a student should receive, and now research wants to make the differences even greater, says Marcus Strömberg.
Tuition is calculated based on the a child’s education costs.
Three years ago, the National Education Agency calculated that a pupil in an independent compulsory school for one year costs an average of 99,200 SEK, while the average cost of a pupil in a municipal compulsory school is 109,500 SEK.
This is partly because municipal schools have empty school places because they must be prepared to accept, for example, newcomers, a responsibility that independent schools do not have.
Marcus Strömberg criticizes how research on an equivalent school has been calculated. Municipalities can deduct additional costs from calculating school fees in a way that independent schools cannot, he says.
– So we want to say that independent schools are already undercompensated today. We can also have empty school places, and independent schools have always helped municipalities develop their capacity when demographics have increased. So the whole idea of reducing tuition fees for independent schools is wrong.
Academedia at Liljeholmen in Stockholm.
Photo: Örjan Björkdahl
Prior to the General Meeting of Shareholders of Academedia On Thursday, the Board of Directors proposed that a dividend of SEK 158 million be paid to shareholders. That is more than last year when the dividend was SEK 131 million.
In the annual report, Academedia writes that the good result is due to a combination of having more students, which gives a higher enrollment rate, without having a corresponding increase in personnel costs.
Shouldn’t having more students lead to higher staff costs, for example hiring more teachers?
– When we started, personnel costs were higher and we have worked hard for a long time to have a good balance between quality and finances. Even though we get fewer resources than municipalities, we do so thanks to good planning skills and good purchases to maintain a high quality of teaching, says Marcus Strömberg.
When asked if it is appropriate to make a profit with the help of a combination of high school fees and low staff costs, he responds:
– Often takes earnings out of context without putting them in relation to sales. So you see we have low margins.
But can you understand that it is in the eyes of your critics that you make a profit with the help of school fees and then distribute the money to shareholders?
– We need owners who are willing to take risks and make investments. They are responsible for the organization. So I think it’s reasonable that they receive a dividend, says Marcus Strömberg.
– During my fifteen years in Academedia, we have distributed money on two occasions, and on one occasion we asked our owners for money.
A public actor that has a deficit, for example a municipal school, can send the bill to the taxpayers, while an independent actor must take responsibility for the economy, he says.
– This means that over the years we have been very restrained and invested in the development of the business. Therefore, it is also natural that the owners who are ultimately responsible receive dividends.
Read more about school segregation and the research proposal:
Harsh criticism of lost waiting time for independent schools
Minister: Parents also win in a more regulated school choice
DN / Ipsos: four out of ten want to miss waiting time for schools
Pisa manager: teachers are seen as service personnel in Sweden
