The branch office will probably have to be closed by summer 2026

The Nienstädt primary school has had a branch in Nienstädt for decades. Finally, the future use of the facility causes a lot of anger and discussion. Now comes the kicker: When asked about various concepts for schools, the Regional State Office for Schools and Education (RLSB) replied that there was no approval for the location at Bergkrug.

“It doesn’t have to be anything hot at first,” said municipal mayor Stefan Kolb, reassuring the council members at the council’s most recent meeting. The team is searching at full speed and has now even found various clues in transcripts, Kolb reported afterwards. The original is still not available. But it's not just the question of approval that concerns the head of administration, because the letter also came with the answer to his question.

School authorities should avoid organizational difficulties

The municipality originally wanted to know whether it would be possible to operate the Nienstädt primary school as an open all-day school, but to allow the branch in Seggebruch to continue to operate with a different concept, for example as a reliable primary school. The RLSB has now made it clear that this is not so simply the case. “Schools should generally be run as uniform organizational units spatially bundled at one school location,” the letter says. The document actually refers to the fact that – if no approval can be found – the joint municipality as the school authority would have to submit a new application. This also means that organizational difficulties, such as teachers' commuting or a limited overall educational offering, should be avoided.

Another point relates to the duration of a branch office as an “intermediate solution”. According to the RLSB, the facilities can be approved, but should “in principle only be a temporary interim solution”. The school authority, in this case the Nienstädt municipality, “always has to question” whether the branch still needs to be operated given the number of students.

Hardly any chances for the branch at the Bergkrug

“This gives us a clear presentation,” Kolb commented at the meeting. Headmaster Torsten Rolke confirmed to him again that all primary school students would fit into the main building in Nienstädt. Therefore, from his point of view, the joint municipality would neither receive permission to operate the branch office nor for a separate concept for the whole day. In plain language, this means: The Seggebruch elementary school will be closed in summer 2026.

The head of administration emphasized afterwards that there was no council decision yet. However, he sees little room for maneuver. In a personal conversation with the RLSB clerk, he also discussed the case if the administration could not find approval from the branch office. However, the result would be the same. “We won’t be able to do it next year,” he admitted. Just the logistical task of taking the children to Nienstädt by bus has to be planned.

“For me it is clear,” summarized Heinz David (CDU). “We have the task of checking whether everyone can be accommodated in the main location, that works, so we should no longer concern ourselves with the other options.” Fabian Killer (WGSN) also said: “The organization is hardly affordable for the school is is, the headmaster reports again and again. Now we probably don’t have a choice anymore.” “We can of course legally examine this statement,” Kolb said later in the conversation. If a parliamentary group requests this through an application and receives a majority, it is possible. However, Kolb does not see a great opportunity for the branch office.

The fact that the place in Seggebruch was not reached anyway also shows the problem of educating the future first graders. 63 students are to be enrolled in school, 52 children fit into the branch in Seggebruch. Eleven children also have to be schooled in Nienstädt, reported joint municipal councilor Heike Buddensiek, and parents of three children have already volunteered. “Now eight children still have to go to school in Nienstädt,” she reported at the meeting. The committee had already recommended a lottery system in an emergency, which the council has now followed. If additional volunteers come forward beforehand, this procedure may not be necessary, Buddensiek continued. “The children are then guaranteed to be placed in a class,” the general representative tried to make the decision more palatable.

SN