Report 5026

– This proposal will have some consequences, and one of them is a longer travel distance.

This is according to Arne Christian Vangdal, who is leading the project for a new kindergarten and school structure in Tromsø.

– Our main challenge is not of a technical or financial nature. The main challenge is to get new teachers and professionals, and to keep those who are already there.

Vangdal points out that the number of children in the municipality has been decreasing, and that they therefore have some overcapacity in some schools.

– An inappropriate school structure goes beyond something, and we cannot afford to be inappropriate. The kroner we spend on it cannot be used for anything else, he says.

– We have not been able to adapt well over time. This is really something that should have happened a long time ago.

Schools:

• Lunheim school is being closed, and the students are being moved to Krokelvdalen and Tromsdalen.

• Trondjord, Sandnessund and Slettaelva schools are merged into a new Kvaløysletta.

• 1-10 school Ersfjordbotn students are moved to Storelva primary and secondary school.

• Hamna 1st-4th grade is moved to Solneset, while Hamna and Solneset 5th-7th grade are moved to Langnes school.

• Vikran students are moved to Straumsbukta school. Kattfjord students are moved to Brensholmen school.

Kindergartens:

• Sami kindergarten is moved to Workinnmarka school, to consolidate the offer in a Sami upbringing center.
• Slettaelva and Kvaløysletta kindergartens are moved into Sandnessund school.
• Storvollen kindergarten is merged with Eidhaugen kindergarten.
• Kattfjord kindergarten is closed.

The proposal was submitted to the chairmanship of the municipality on Tuesday. See the presentation here (external link).

The publisher will go out for consultation, where the consultation deadline expires on April 15. The final structure will be adopted by the municipal council on June 15.

– There will be a sense of unrest when changing, but it is not individual children who have to change schools, it is entire classes together, says Vangdal.

– Then it will of course have an impact on the local environment, but with the exception of the district, the areas near the city are around 42 square kilometers, where 98 percent of the population live.

The plan is for the new structure to come into effect by 2030.

Will move several hundred students

Hamna School in the far north of Tromsøya is one of the schools that is proposed to be closed. The school has a capacity of 380 students, and currently has grades 1 to 7.

In 2015, the school had 246 students, while in 2023 the school had 192 students. Towards 2030 and 2050, it is expected that the number of students would have been 186 and 188, according to KOMPAS 2024.

At Solneset School, which is in the same district, the capacity is 350 students. In 2015, the school had 194 students and 184 in 2023. However, the number of students here is expected to increase slightly towards 2030 and 2050.

If the new school structure is adopted, the distance to school will be longer for students in the Hamna district.

Now the administration in Tromsø municipality is proposing that all students in grades 1 to 4 should attend Solneset School in Hamna, and that the older students be moved to Langnes School, which will be a 5th-10th grade school.

– It is a sad matter, says the head of the FAU at Hamna School, Tina Helena Elisabeth Thesslund.

She fears that the northern part of Hamna will become a district without families if the school is closed.

– If we close one school and have to bus all the children to the other, the entire northern part of Hamna will become very unattractive, she says.

– It is not only during the day that there is activity at the school. It is used mostly from morning until late at night by those who live here.

Now she is announcing a fight to preserve the school.

– You have to fight for your school and your district, says Thesslund.

FAU leader at Hamna School, Tina Helena Elisabeth Thesslund, is concerned that the district in Hamna will become unattractive and will not attract families with children without a local school.

Lunheim School on the mainland is also proposed to be closed. Here, the idea is that the students will be moved to Tromsdalen and Krokelvdalen Schools.

The school has a capacity of 380 students. In 2015, they had 313 students, while in 2023 they had 289. By 2030, it is expected that they would have had 270 students.

Overtime

Tromsø City Director, Stig Tore Johnsen, is clear that they must make changes.

– We have a good school and kindergarten in Tromsø, and we will continue to have that. This proposal is to contribute to that, not to destroy the school and kindergarten, but actually strengthen it, he says.

According to the city director, there are several reasons why they believe that action must be taken.

– There have been fewer children, and there are many half-empty school buildings around. We have major challenges recruiting enough professional expertise, in both kindergartens and schools. And we have a number of buildings and outdoor spaces that require upgrades and maintenance, he says.

In short, Johnsen believes that it is long overdue to make changes. The fact that the municipality has had a challenging economy for several years also plays a role.

But the economy is not the main reason, according to Johnsen.

– Economy will always be a topic in all the decisions we make. But that is not why we have initiated this work. It is primarily about fewer children, and that we have a structure that is built for another time, he says.