Gällivare municipality has decided to reorganize its school system following ongoing problems at Sjöparksskolan, the town's only high school for the past decade. According to reports, the municipality will investigate creating three schools containing preschool through grade 9 instead of maintaining one large high school.
The decision comes after the Swedish Schools Inspectorate intervened and took control of Sjöparksskolan last year. The school has reportedly faced numerous issues including noise and disturbances, a shortage of qualified teachers leading to cancelled lessons, declining academic results, and students failing to complete compulsory education.
there is a clear signal that the consolidated high school model has not met expectations
Maria Åhlén (S), vice chair of the child and education committee, stated that there is a clear signal that the consolidated high school model has not met expectations. The reorganization aims to reduce empty school spaces while addressing the problems at Sjöparksskolan.
The child and education committee has now been tasked with developing an implementation plan for the new school organization. The municipality reportedly plans to return to having high school classes distributed across multiple schools in Gällivare, a structure that emerged as preferred during school dialogues with stakeholders.