Utsjoki school faces persistent leadership crisis as headteacher turnover raises concerns

The northern Finnish municipality of Utsjoki is taking steps to improve staff wellbeing after years of high turnover in the headteacher role at its comprehensive school and Sámi upper secondary school, a situation experts describe as unusual and alarming, Yle reports.

The school’s working environment has been strained for years, with tensions manifesting as cliques and unclear practices, according to municipal director Päivi Kontio. Issues include a lack of shared guidelines and ambiguities in payroll procedures. The root cause is widely seen as the difficulty in recruiting a permanent headteacher due to the position’s Sámi language requirement, leading to frequent temporary appointments of Finnish-speaking acting heads.

However, Niku Tuomisto, development manager at the Trade Union of Education (OAJ), argues that while the language requirement complicates recruitment, the core problem lies deeper. “If a school has had five headteachers in five years, its fundamental structures are likely flawed. This level of turnover is exceptional,” Tuomisto said. He noted that prolonged instability has effectively “normalised” a dysfunctional work environment, making the situation particularly challenging.

The current acting headteacher, Satu Labigne—who began in autumn 2024 and does not speak Sámi—acknowledged the school’s “unconventional” operational models but declined to elaborate. With 26 years in education, she described Utsjoki’s environment as unlike any she had encountered. Labigne attributed the turnover to narrowly defined roles that reduce job satisfaction, alongside an excessive workload. Despite having only 23 staff and around 40 students, the lack of a deputy headteacher or designated upper secondary coordinator forces her to work long hours.

In response, Utsjoki’s education committee has committed to active monitoring and concrete measures, including clarifying sick leave and payroll procedures, negotiating practices, and establishing shared working methods. Tuomisto, however, questioned why such basic workplace standards were not already in place, emphasising that structural issues cannot be resolved without a properly resourced, permanent headteacher role.