Scuol closes schools in Ftan and Tarasp, parents appeal

Context

At a Glance

• Closure of Ftan and Tarasp by the 2028–2029 school year
• Children from Ftan would attend school in Ardez
• Children from Tarasp would attend school in Sent
• Parents’ appeal to the Graubünden Court of Appeals

Key Facts

• Municipality → Scuol
• School locations → five
• Population → approximately 4,600 residents
• Reasons cited → financial and demographic
• Appeal → group of parents
• Deadline for the municipality → October 20
• Merger agreement → signed in 2014
• Validity period stated by Riet Fanzun → through the end of 2029

The Decision Announced in Scuol

In mid-September, during an informational meeting, the Scuol Municipal Council announced its intention to close the school campuses in Ftan and Tarasp by the 2028–2029 school year. The decision affects two of the five schools in the municipality—which is the largest in Switzerland by area—and, according to the municipal council, is based on financial and demographic reasons.

In the future, children from Ftan would attend school in Ardez, while those from Tarasp would be sent to Sent. Scuol has a population of approximately 4,600.

The announcement has sparked confusion among residents. This frustration led to an appeal: a group of parents filed it with the Graubünden Court of Appeals, which confirmed the news first reported by the Südostschweiz.

Mayor Aita Zanetti, a member of the Center Party, acknowledged that the reorganization—especially in Ftan and Tarasp—would fuel opposition and a heated, emotionally charged debate. The municipal council has taken note of the appeal and stated that it respects this process.

Over the past two weeks, the municipal executive has received letters from students and two petitions: one from Ftan and one from Tarasp. Zanetti said that the concerns and requests are being taken seriously. The municipal council also proposed a meeting with the students, but so far the invitation has not been accepted.

The campaign’s coordinating committee has received support from the Anna Florin Association, which has been working for years to preserve affordable housing and keep small villages in the canton of Graubünden alive. Riet Fanzun, a member of the steering committee and a resident of Tarasp, argues that schools help keep outlying villages attractive.

“We know from studies that once a school is closed, there’s no going back.”

Meanwhile, the municipal government is continuing its work on the future organization of the school system. Following the appeal, the municipality will have until October 20 to respond.

Operational details

The Issue: Costs and Local Presence

Comparing Two Criteria

The reorganization creates tension between two criteria that the text presents separately. On the one hand, City Hall wants to plan the school system for the coming years by considering the entire municipality and financial sustainability. On the other hand, parents supported by the Anna Florin Association link decentralized school locations to the appeal of outlying villages. The school itself is thus viewed both as a service to be organized and as a local institution.

On a practical level, the transition from a local school to another municipal school changes the educational reference point for children and parents. The text lists the destination locations but does not specify distances, schedules, organized transportation, or expected savings. For this reason, the plan cannot be translated into a precise calculation of the cost or time required for commuting. For a general overview of the mezzi pubblici initiative, this issue must be kept separate from the decisions still under discussion in Scuol.

The timeline is also fueling the controversy. The closure is scheduled to take place by the end of the 2028–2029 school year, while Riet Fanzun argues that the municipal merger agreement, signed in 2014, requires that the campuses be maintained in a decentralized manner until the end of 2029. His argument does not concern only the appropriateness of the reorganization; it concerns who has the authority to decide and with what level of consent.

According to Fanzun, in the ten years following the agreement’s signing, the public should have the opportunity to vote on any changes, and the decision would require a two-thirds majority. The appeal thus brings a matter that is at once educational, territorial, and procedural before the Graubünden Court of Appeals. The City Council’s position remains different: the executive branch considers it necessary to have a reliable, pedagogically sound, and financially sustainable school system. For a separate breakdown of daily expenses, please refer to costo della vita in Svizzera.

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Key points

Steps to Follow

The Documented Sequence

To follow the case without confusing announcements, appeals, and local participation, the steps already outlined can be organized as follows:

1. Mark the October 20 deadline. Following the appeal filed by the parents, the municipality has until that date to respond. This is the next explicit deadline communicated in this matter.

2. Distinguish between the administrative and judicial processes. The closure of Ftan and Tarasp is the municipality’s plan; the appeal to the Graubünden Court of Appeal is the parents’ initiative. The text does not yet indicate the outcome of the proceedings.

3. Verify the reference to the 2014 contract. Riet Fanzun cites the clause that would maintain the schools in a decentralized manner until the end of 2029. According to his interpretation, any changes would require a public vote and a two-thirds majority.

4. Keep the channels of participation that have already emerged distinct from one another. The letters from the students and the two petitions—one from Ftan and one from Tarasp—represent the initiatives mentioned following the announcement. The meeting proposed by the municipal government to the students has not yet been accepted.

5. Monitor the work on the future organization. The municipal government states that it intends to assess the coming years and the entire municipality, with the goal of ensuring a reliable, pedagogically sound, and financially sustainable school system.

This sequence allows for a separate analysis of the procedural deadline, the interpretation of the contract, and the public’s initiatives. It also avoids presenting a closure as definitive when, in the source, it is described as the Town Hall’s plan, while the appeal remains at the center of the matter.

For those following the case, the most immediate action point is therefore the municipality’s response by October 20. To combine this analysis with a review of your own budget, use calcolatore stipendio e imposte.

Source: swissinfo.ch