The city of Lyon, France, has announced a 45% reduction in funding for private middle schools under contract with the government. Catholic schools are among those affected. This cut is based on a new method of calculating the flat rate for day students, the basis for allocating funding.
The Interdepartmental Union of Catholic Education Management Organizations (UNIOGEC) Rhône–Roannais referred the matter to the Lyon Administrative Court on December 12 to challenge this decision. If left in place, this change will have serious consequences for the budget of the 37 Catholic schools in the metropolitan area, with a loss of €2.6 million (about 3 million US dollars; one euro converts to about $1.18 as of this writing).
This phenomenon is not limited to Lyon. Pierre-Vincent Guéret, President of the National Federation of Ogec (FNOGEC), warns of the opacity of these calculations in many French cities and the resulting inequality.
They come in the wake of aggressive measures by the state to inspect private schools in the light of abuse cases. Guillaume Prévost, the Secretary General of Catholic Education in France, has reported that the inspections have gone beyond their mandate. Government inspectors have "manipulated the inspections" to "create insecurity for staff, weaken our schools, and close our small, mixed-gender rural schools."
This in turn is taking place in the context of conflicts between the secular government and Catholic institutions regarding faith, family values, and freedom of expression. Some government authorities seem to be taking advantage of various situation to try to undermine Catholic education.
Aleteia spoke with Pierre-Vincent Guéret about the current situation in Lyon.
A drastic cut
Aleteia: What is the situation in Lyon?
Pierre-Vincent Guéret: On October 13, following deliberation by the standing committee and without any prior information, the Lyon metropolitan area decided to change the method of calculating the day school fee.
Let me remind you of the context. Since 1959, the Debré law has organized the association of private schools under contract to serve the mission of public education. As such, local authorities are required to finance part of the operating costs of private middle schools through the day school fee. The fee is calculated according to the same criteria as for public schools. This funding covers energy, upkeep, maintenance, technical costs, and non-teaching staff, among other things.
The Education Code requires that this flat rate be based on the actual cost of a public school student, in order to ensure equal treatment between students in public and private school schools under contract.
It was therefore the calculation of this flat rate that was changed downward by the city of Lyon. In the month following this vote, our schools each received a surprise letter announcing a very significant reduction in their flat rate, from €600 to €414 per student!
Tuition will have to rise
Who will be affected by this reduction, and what will be the consequences?
Guéret: The 37 Catholic schools in the metropolitan area, which have nearly 20,000 students, will not be able to cover their essential operating costs. This drastic budget cut will jeopardize the maintenance and safety of our buildings, as well as the supervisory staff.
No school can absorb a financial shock of this magnitude unless it asks each parent for an additional €140. Furthermore, we have no access to the method used to calculate these flat rates, which vary from €400 to €1,100 per child from one city to another and from one region to another. Why? How is this possible? What are local authorities basing their calculations on?
In the case of the Lyon metropolitan area, our requests for meetings have gone unanswered or received only laconic responses. This reduction in the flat rate has not been explained and will put our establishments in great financial difficulty, even though, I would remind you, freedom of education is constitutional, as is equality before taxation. That is why we have taken legal action to restore the law, protect families, and demand greater transparency.
A widespread phenomenon in France
What is the context for the Lyon metropolitan area's decision?
Guéret: According to a study published on November 19 by our federation, FNOGEC, it has already been shown that local authorities underfund private schools under contract by an average of €450 per student, representing a shortfall of nearly €900 million each year.
This study, based on public data from local authorities and reports from regional audit chambers, highlighted a major discrepancy between the law and the funding actually paid out. What is happening with the Lyon metropolitan area therefore illustrates a national phenomenon: a deliberate and growing gap between the legal framework and the reality of funding, in order to impose more funding cuts on private education and continue to deprive it of resources. We no longer want to remain silent or let this happen.
That is why we have decided to inform all parents concerned. While we have just taken legal action in Lyon, we will do the same in other cities where the flat rates are too low or calculated in a non-transparent manner. We will be making appointments with the local authorities concerned, and are also asking prefects to enforce the Debré law, which guarantees freedom of education. If this is not the case, we will take legal action on a case-by-case basis.
