Municipal council elections 2022.

Municipal council elections 2022.

Today you can vote in the municipal elections. Local politicians have done their best in recent weeks to show you they want the best for your municipality. Understandable because municipalities have important legal tasks. Also when it comes to education. How does that work? We will explain everything briefly for you.

Dutch Association of Municipalities (VNG)

The Dutch Association of Municipalities (VNG) connects all Dutch municipalities and aims to strengthen local government, among other things by helping with policy, working with the national government and advising municipalities.

School housing

Municipalities have a legal duty of care for the housing of primary and secondary education, including special education. Mbo institutions are responsible for their own housing. School buildings must meet housing requirements. These are in the Working Conditions Act and the Building Decree. Municipalities pay for new buildings and expansion, for which they receive money via the municipal fund.

Compulsory education

Enforcing compulsory education and reducing the number of school leavers without a starting qualification is closely linked to the duty of care that schools themselves have towards students at risk of dropping out. Municipalities are responsible for supervising compliance with the Compulsory Education Act. The compulsory education officer in the municipality monitors compliance. Every municipality has at least one compulsory education officer in service. To prevent early school leaving, municipalities work with other parties.

Read more about the Compulsory Education Act in our Knowledge Base.

Student transport

Municipalities must set rules that allow parents of students under certain conditions to claim reimbursement of transport costs to and from school. The funds come from the general grant of the municipal fund. The VNG has created a model regulation for this: the Model Regulation student transport. The VNG provides lots of information on what transport the municipality must pay for, how financing works and more. There is little attention to how the model regulation works for students and their parents.

Read more about student transport in our Knowledge Base.

Combating educational disadvantage

To help children with educational disadvantages, municipalities offer special programs. They get money from the national government to run solid policy to tackle educational disadvantages. Early childhood education is part of this policy.

Child centers

Municipalities must provide preschool facilities accessible to every child. Integral child centers play an important role. These are inclusive basic facilities for all children from 0 to 12 years. Municipalities want centers where childcare, playgroups and primary education come together in one place. The VNG will guide this and take a leading role. The focus group of aldermen for child centers encourages this development by sharing knowledge and actively lobbying for integral and inclusive child centers.

Tailored education

To give every child a suitable education place, schools in primary and secondary education work together in Partnership Tailored Education. They make agreements about support together. The regional partnerships coordinate the support plan for schools with involved municipalities. The municipality is also responsible for aligning the youth plan with the partnership. This happens in the mandatory ‘consultation aimed at agreement’ (OOGO).

Read more about where to find tailored education in our Knowledge Base.

Want to know more?

If you have questions, you can always call our advice point at 088-6050101. Our staff are ready for you every workday from 9:30 am.