Service Agreement for NU

Service contract for a new primary school in Hafnarfjörður

At its meeting yesterday, the Hafnarfjörður Town Council approved a proposal from the Education Committee regarding a service agreement between the Town of Hafnarfjörður and the Framsýn School Association, thereby establishing the Framsýn primary school and providing funding for it. The Framsýn School Association intends to begin operating the 'Nu' secondary school in Hafnarfjörður in autumn 2016, where the emphasis will be on information technology, health and physical activity.

The service agreement means that the Municipality of Hafnarfjörður pays a running grant for up to 45 pupils from Hafnarfjörður to Framsýn's primary school. The school will also be open to pupils from other municipalities, but the municipality will not pay a running grant for them. The National Education Agency has granted the school authorisation to operate and, like other schools, it will operate in accordance with the current Primary Education Act. According to an annex to the City of Hafnarfjörður's budget, the costs for the school will be met through internal budget adjustments. Budgetary space has been created due to lower-than-planned financial contributions to the Hjallastefnan Primary School in the current financial year, both because of fewer pupils and because the school's middle school is being discontinued. The operating grant from the City of Hafnarfjörður amounts to 75% of the weighted average of the total operating costs per pupil for all state primary schools in the country, according to the annual calculations of Statistics Iceland and in accordance with the law. This cost includes expenses for premises, administration, teaching, specialist services and other general running costs for the school's operations. The contribution from the City of Hafnarfjörður is based on the number of pupils at the school each month, up to a maximum of 45 pupils.  This is in line with the contribution already paid today for Hafnarfjörður pupils attending independently run schools. The school is run on a not-for-profit basis, and any surplus may arise will be used to strengthen its infrastructure in the form of learning materials and teaching equipment. The school is authorised to charge parents or guardians for services, such as tuition and meal fees. A new school will be subject to the same conditions and external evaluation as other primary schools in Hafnarfjörður.