The decision, made on Thursday evening with nine votes against eight, will see the private school take over the municipality's school building for one krone, rather than the 3 million kroner proposed by the administration and mayor. 3 million kroner if the sale proceeds, and she fears it sets a precedent for selling buildings to private entities for one krone. The building is valued at 44 million kroner, and a narrow majority had previously indicated they would essentially give it away.
The move follows a December 2024 decision to close the youth school levels at Lesjaskog school from the current school year. A larger group has worked to establish a private school for grades 1–10 in Lesjaskog, which received clearance from the Education Directorate just before Christmas last year, and politicians later gave their approval. The decision had near-unanimous support in consultation responses from the population, in favor of the private school.
This is the taxpayers' building. It is not just the municipal council's. There is a proposal to sell it for 3 million, and that is not a blood price. It is something compared to the value the building has today, which is valued at 44 million.
Some fear the private school may not be financially sustainable in the long term, potentially leaving the community without any school offering. Mayor Mariann Skotte warned in a reader's column in the local newspaper Vigga about the precedent set by selling the building for one krone. Ellen Sørumsgård Syse of the Centre Party warned against closing the public school offering in favor of the private offering, pointing out that the public offering for grades 8–10 was closed to prepare the municipality for a future with fewer people of working age.
When you are going to start something private, you necessarily need start-up capital. I do not think it is right that Lesja municipality should give away buildings to the private sector and as a result also have to close public jobs.
If something private comes here and we have some building mass they want to move into, then we have set a precedent that we give away buildings for 1 krone.