Proposed Terslev school closure deepens mayor’s budget worries

The proposed closure of Terslev School dominated a public meeting on Faxe Municipality’s budget, leaving Mayor Mikkel Dam with “even more of a stomach ache”, DR reports.

The school, which has 58 pupils, is included in a package of proposed savings worth up to 50 million kroner in next year’s budget. Residents brought signs reading “Save Terslev School” and challenged municipal politicians at the meeting in the council chamber in Haslev on Monday evening.

“We moved to Terslev because we wanted a small community. We will not thrive at the large schools,” said Vo Ryberg, one of the many residents who attended.

SF councillor Michelle Frese said the residents’ criticism had made an impression and thanked them for “the scolding”.

“They are frustrated that we may affect their everyday lives. I fully understand that,” she said.

Frese said, however, that the pressure on the budget could mean other services would have to be cut if the school was kept open.

“It is just as difficult for Karise Børnehus and after-school care, and for vulnerable people,” she said.

Lotte Langgaard Andersen acknowledged that closing Terslev School might look sensible on paper, but said it would have serious consequences for the town.

“The village community itself will also suffer a serious blow, so I do not think the municipality will achieve the savings it wants,” she said.

She pointed to a successful effort by residents to save the local shop, but said she feared a school closure could exhaust the volunteers who help sustain the community.

“At some point, you cannot do any more, and the services we otherwise value so much are no longer there,” she said.

Former mayor Ole Vive of Venstre was the clearest voice in favour of keeping the school open.

“The school has faced some huge challenges, which we have now overcome. The proposal is a bucket of cold water over the people who have made a huge effort,” he said.

No decision has been made. Mayor Mikkel Dam of Liberal Alliance said the meeting had left him even more troubled by the proposal.

“But we have a shared responsibility to keep an eye on the whole municipality. That is why you sometimes appear harsh and unsympathetic, even though that is in no way what you wanted,” he said.