Reader’s letter This is a debate entry, written by an external contributor. The post expresses the writer’s views.
While some politicians worry that the sale of nurseries will increase Larvik municipality’s costs, the figures show the opposite.
The issue of the sale of municipal kindergartens in Larvik is again a topic in the political conversation and in Østlands-Posten’s columns. In a meeting of the main committee for education and qualifications recently, concerns about finances were among the things that were aired.
In that context, I need to clear up two misunderstandings:
Misunderstanding 1. It is not correct that the subsidies for private nurseries are 100 per cent of the costs in municipal nurseries.
The fact that private kindergartens are entitled to equal financial treatment does not mean that they will be treated equally, krone for krone.
Over time, the municipalities have higher costs per nursery place for the ordinary operation of their own nurseries than they have for operating subsidies for private ones.
On a national basis, municipalities save NOK 2.9 billion a year on this. Calculations that PBL has made for Larvik municipality indicate that in the period 2020–2022 the municipality saved more than NOK 20 million on the private kindergartens.
Among other things, this is due to the fact that the private nurseries receive a pension supplement of ten per cent of the wage base in the municipal nurseries, while the municipalities on average report pension costs of more than 20 per cent.
In other words, private kindergartens offer their employees equally good pension conditions, at half the price for the municipality.
Misunderstanding 2. It is also not correct that the distribution of children in need of special accommodation affects the subsidy rates for private kindergartens.
It is the ordinary offer that forms the basis for the rates. Everything else is kept out.
Today, private nurseries provide at least as good services as municipal nurseries. They meet the staffing and teacher standards to at least the same degree. They offer competitive salary and pension conditions. They have more diverse content, have lower sickness absence and slightly more satisfied parents.
And as mentioned, they cost the municipalities less than municipal nurseries to run.
I am therefore confident that Larvik’s planned sale of some of the municipal kindergartens will be good for children, families, employees – and the citizens in general.
Tags: Debate Kindergartens Misunderstandings financing private kindergartens Larvik
