The funding model for daycare centers in Munich is illegal.
That was decided by the administrative court.
The city must now decide how to proceed.
The city council basically wants to hold on to subsidies.
Now it's official: The municipal funding formula for the daycare system is illegal.
That was decided by the Administrative Court in Munich.
Our newspaper had previously reported exclusively on the alleged decision.
The background to the decision of the VG was a lawsuit brought by a private daycare operator against the city's subsidy system. Operators of private institutions are exempt from this if they have not signed the Munich Funding Formula (MFF). Anyone who joins the subsidy system undertakes to adhere to certain formalities, such as an upper limit for the costs of a daycare place, but also for the payment of the staff, so that there is no competition between them.
The private daycare operator would like to have the same grants - without signing the funding formula. The VG has now rejected the lawsuit, which the city could actually be happy about. However, the court ruled that the funding formula was illegal. That could cause trouble for the city's grant system. The administration will now check whether adjustments to the funding programs are necessary, the Department for Education and Sport announced.
"We are investing 130 million euros a year in a better personnel key, higher salaries, low to no fees and parent-friendly opening times with few closing days," says SPD leader Christian Müller. "In this way we create optimal starting opportunities for all children." In his view, tax money is not there to finance the profits of private providers. "It is a major mistake by the Free State not to cap parental contributions."
Green City Councilor Sebastian Weisenburger said: “In the daycare centers, the high quality standards, family-friendly opening times, fair allocation of places and affordable prices must continue to have priority.” The CSU also wants to stick to the funding formula, but appeals to the department to establish legal certainty immediately.
"We owe it to the porters that this goes quickly and that it does not take another eight years for legal certainty to exist," says City Councilor Beatrix Burkhardt.
