Parents of students from Boulogne-Billancourt are asking for a last chance for their nursery school “small in size but large in its educational activity”.
The closure of Jacques Deray, a small structure of three classes located in the city center, was in fact recorded during the municipal council on February 1 due to a constant demographic decline since Covid.
“We are aware that the numbers are falling but we are asking the mayor to give him one last opportunity as long as all the surrounding real estate programs have not yet been delivered,” underlines a mother.
Several parents launched an online petition which collected more than 1,100 signatures.
6,274 students in 2023 compared to 7,500 in 2019
The drop in enrollment observed both at national and local level has a direct impact on the school map.
In Boulogne-Billancourt, around thirty classes have been closed in recent years.
The city will have 6,274 students in 2023 compared to 7,500 at the start of the 2019 school year. According to Mayor Pierre-Christophe Baguet who justified this decision during the municipal council, the migratory balance in Boulogne-Billancourt is negative, one in two residents who arrive are single people and families move to more distant cities.
The number of births also fell from 1,800 in 2015 to 1,200 in 2023.
“I understand perfectly that there is emotion, that we are closing a school, it is not a good signal at all,” explains the elected official, but the school has already been operating with three classes, it is an illusion to believe that we will have an increase in numbers in the coming years despite real estate projects, and that the housing crisis will be resolved.
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