environmentalists launch observatory on schools
Disagreements persist between the opposition and the majority of the Toulouse City Hall. After episodes of controversy around swimming pool closures throughout the summer, the group Toulouse environmentalist launches an alert concerning the conditions of reception of pupils on the occasion of the start of the school year. On this Wednesday, August 31, the elected representatives of the opposition then decided to launch a observatory on the schools of Toulouse. The objective of the approach: to create a “broad diagnosis associating all the actors in the field”.
A questionnaire in place
are then affected by the observatory, parents of students, teachers, ATSEM, agents and any other actor in educational life. The environmental group then declares in a press release: “the municipal authorities in place must become aware of the real dysfunctions and shortcomings that are underway in our Toulouse schools”.
A questionnaire was then distributed to the networks. It is articulated around three axes: the condition of the buildings and the schoolyard; the means of operation of the school as well as the question of the surroundings of the school. Once these first questions have been answered, the ecologists will then seek to “objectivize the resentment of users on a daily basis”. This first step will be completed by visits and on-site meetings with elected officials.
Disagreements with the majority in place
This diagnosis comes after disagreements between the elected representatives of the opposition and the majority at the town hall of Toulouse. The group of ecologists then said to have filed “a wish to propose many measures to improve the situation of our Toulouse schools”. But he also says the majority “didn’t want to go down that road” with them.
Contacted by The Independent Opinion, Marion Lalane-De Laubaderedeputy mayor in charge of education Toulouseresponded to this initiative: “Very good, they are launching a observatoryme, I act”. For the elected, actions speak louder than words. She then explains that her work is based on the work of engineers who have already carried out school audits.
We know perfectly the state of the building, I rely on the seriousness and skills of the engineers. That’s why every year, when we do the work in the schools, we know very well what needs to be done and what needs to be prioritized. Afterwards, if we don’t do everything at the same time, of course we suspect that we don’t have the capacity to renovate all the schools at the same time in a single year. Of course there is still work to be done.”
A budget of 350 million euros of investments
To go into more detail, Marion Lalane-De Laubadere expands on the various important education figures over the last two terms:
When you have a budget of 350 million euros of investments for the mandate; when in two terms, we have well over half a billion euros in investments, not to mention the operation of schools, that speaks for itself. In the last mandate, we created ten school groups, that is 20 schools, and that on this mandate, we will make 11 and that they are almost all launched. We are at 23 new schools in this term and 20 in the last term. Plus the in-depth renovations of school groups… At some point, it’s the numbers that speak.”
In particular, she mentions points that seem “trivial”, but nevertheless represent a substantial budget:
When we work on energy renovation like when we change an LED bulb, it makes everyone laugh. But when we give the figures and we replace all the light bulbs in the schools of Toulouse, it doesn’t seem like anything said like that. But it represents eight million euros across the whole city.”
“I know there are still things to do, but the term is not over,” finished the elected.