What happened
Grimstaskolan in västerort has been renovated over two and a half years for 288 million kronor. When students and staff recently returned, serious defects were discovered, such as toilets that cannot be locked, electrical faults, and a crafts room that smells so bad it cannot be used. Moderaterna, Centerpartiet, and Liberalerna demanded in the education committee that the school receive rent relief and that the city demand compensation from the contractor. The red-green leadership did not pass the demands, but referred the matter for further investigation. School Commissioner Arvid Vikman Rindevall (S) dismisses the demand for reduced rent, arguing that the school's finances are not affected because the rent is paid centrally.
Our analysis
Politicians often talk about the need to lift schools in vulnerable areas. They demand results and talk about integration. But when the same politicians are supposed to deliver a functional building for 288 million tax kronor, the students get toilets without locks and a crafts room that stinks.
Would this have been accepted at an inner-city school attended by children of high-income native Swedes? The answer is no. Responsible managers would have been fired that same week. When it comes to schools in suburbs with many new Swedes, the same carelessness is referred to as an 'ongoing dialogue'.
Politicians and contractors blame each other while the children pay the price. They have already spent years in temporary evacuation premises with mold and rat droppings. Offering the suburb's youth broken facilities and calling it a new initiative shows exactly how low the city's leadership sets the bar for these students.
Explained
Sisab (Skolfastigheter i Stockholm AB) is the City of Stockholm's own property company. The company owns and is responsible for the majority of the municipality's preschools and schools.