Education Committee

According to a decision by the Regional State Administrative Agency, teaching of students' emotional and interaction skills must be developed, and for this purpose a "homeroom class" for 7th graders was also planned in Lempäälä. This would have been one weekly lesson to support group formation, interaction skills and school wellbeing, especially during the transition phase to upper comprehensive school. However, the Education and Teaching Board decided in its meeting to return the matter for further preparation. The matter will therefore be decided again later.

The Director of Education and Culture presented several current issues to the board, such as the status of PiiPoo cooperation and the situation regarding early childhood education places. The Cultural Center PiiPoo contract ends in September 2026, and the meeting addressed family daycare pilot programs as well as feedback on the schools' Kulttuurirappuset program. The board will receive a report in December on whether the current rotating childcare workers in early childhood education are sufficient for current needs. Additionally, the situation regarding food services, morning and afternoon activities, and the implementation of the education and culture sector budget were reviewed.

The Education and Training Committee approved the agenda and order of proceedings of its meeting as presented. This is a standard procedure at the beginning of each meeting to ensure that all planned matters are addressed in the agreed order.

The Education and Training Board was informed of the education administration's official decisions from the period 16.4.–12.5.2026. The board did not take any of the decisions for separate consideration, which means they remain in effect as they are. The official decisions concern routine administrative and personnel matters of schools and early childhood education.

The board approved the education and teaching service area report for the first quarter of 2026 as part of the municipality's interim report. The meeting voted on board member Henri Lindholm's proposal to add a mention of a possible service network review regarding the number of schools to the text. The proposal was defeated by a vote of 9-2, so the original report was approved as is. The report will be forwarded to the municipal board and council for consideration in June.

The board proposes an additional appropriation of 610,000 euros for personnel costs, as the original budget is insufficient for organizing education and training services. In addition, early childhood education service voucher costs exceed the budget by approximately 500,000 euros, and the increase in the care coefficient for children under 3 years old adds another 50,000 euros in expenses. The billing method for meal services in schools and daycare centers will be changed with the introduction of digital payment instruments, which will improve cost monitoring but will not affect service delivery. The decision will next go to the municipal board and municipal council for approval.

The board decided on the distribution of teaching resources for learning support to schools for the academic year 2026–2027. The decision is based on new legislation that emphasizes providing learning support primarily in the student's own classroom. The municipality's learning support has been implemented well – group-based support is provided at 0.194 annual lesson hours per student, which clearly exceeds the legal minimum level of 0.122. Staff continue to be trained in the use of new operating models, and decision-making processes will be refined as the transition period ends at the end of July.