GEW puts investment backlog at Hessian schools at six billion euros

There are considerable differences between Hessian municipalities. According to the GEW, the Hochtaunuskreis spent the most, averaging 1,500 euros per student. The Groß-Gerau district has caught up significantly and is now at 1,109 euros per capita, followed by the Main-Taunus-Kreis with 1,094 euros. Bringing up the rear was the city of Kassel with 331 euros per student.

Incidents at schools highlight pressure

GEW chairman Thilo Hartmann sees municipalities as structurally overstretched. "In any case, the Hessian municipalities are not in a position to cover the existing investment needs in school construction," said Hartmann. The weak development of school construction spending and the precarious financial situation of the municipalities would make the issue of dilapidated schools a permanent problem, he further warned. The GEW is therefore calling for a school construction investment program from the state amounting to three billion euros.

Specifically, the union proposes that the state's own development bank WIBank provide municipalities with loans of at least three billion euros in the coming years for school renovation and new construction – with interest and repayment to be covered by the state. As a model, the GEW points to the neighboring state of Thuringia, which has launched such a municipal investment program.

Position of the state

Concrete incidents at school buildings underscore the urgency. In early February, a school building in Frankfurt's Bockenheim district was closed for more than a week due to safety concerns caused by roof damage. About two weeks before the publication of the report, part of the ceiling collapsed at an elementary school in Marburg; around 16 square meters of plasterboard panels fell down, no one was injured.

Pressure on the state government is also coming from school administrators and parents. Andreas Leibold, chairman of the Association of Hessian School Principals, called on the state to invest in modern, climate-resilient school buildings and school grounds. "Wir fordern die Landesregierung auf, in moderne, klimaresiliente Schulgebäude und Schulgelände zu investieren," said Leibold. He is principal at a school in Schlüchtern (Main-Kinzig-Kreis), where renovation work was only completed after eight years.

Outlook

Frankfurt city parents' council chair Katja Rininsland is also striking the same note. "Frankfurts Schulen sind seit Jahren in einem Zustand, der den Anspruch einer modernen Bildungsstadt klar verfehlt und den Bedürfnissen der Kinder nicht gerecht wird," she said. Rininsland reports that classes sometimes take place in container facilities, sometimes in great heat, that canteens are in poor condition, and that sports or swimming activities are lacking.

The Hessian Ministry of Education points out that school construction and school infrastructure fall within the responsibility of the school authorities – that is, the independent cities and rural districts. According to its own figures, the Hessian Ministry of Finance points to three different funding programs for municipalities and puts the state's annual school construction loans to municipalities at 41 million euros. In addition, in 2024 municipalities invested around 720 million euros from federal and state subsidies in schools.

The GEW criticizes these programs as insufficient. The gap between the growing renovation needs and the funds provided is widening, the union warns. Without a significantly larger state program, the renovation backlog threatens to become a permanent burden for schools, teachers, and families.

In view of the incidents of recent weeks – from the ceiling collapse in Marburg to the closure in Frankfurt-Bockenheim to the reports from schools – the teachers' union, school administrators, and parent representatives see the state as obligated to present a viable financing concept at short notice. The debate about the future of Hessian school construction is therefore likely to gain momentum in the coming months.