Styria to evaluate music schools affected by funding cuts

Music schools affected by planned funding cuts in Styria will be evaluated to determine whether they qualify for financial support, ORF reports. The agreement was reached on Monday at a meeting between music school operators, municipal representatives and the state education councillor.

The FPÖ and ÖVP plan to cut music school funding by 3.3 million euros as the state seeks to save money. Styria’s education councillor, Stefan Hermann of the FPÖ, said the schools faced “pressure to reform.” The municipal association and cities’ association have been invited to help shape a reform of the state’s music school system, with another meeting planned before the end of the year.

Erwin Dirnberger, president of the Styrian municipal association, called Monday’s talks “factual and constructive” but said they had not delivered what the municipal and cities’ associations had hoped for: compensatory payments to affected music school locations during the current school year. No further funding will be paid this school year.

The Styrian SPÖ criticised the government’s handling of the cuts. Party leader Max Lercher called it a “breach of trust” caused by “chaos and delaying tactics” and urged the FPÖ-ÖVP state government to withdraw the planned 3.3 million euro cuts. The SPÖ said it would hold a rally outside the state parliament building on Tuesday, before a parliamentary session.