Ulsan Office of Education Unveils Ambitious Budget: 2.2948 Trillion Won Allocated for Next Year’s Household Expenses
▲ Ulsan Office of Education allocates 2.2948 trillion won for next year’s household expenses.
[미디어투데이=안상일 기자] The Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education has allocated 2.2948 trillion won in the 2025 budget.
Superintendent Cheon Chang-soo held a press conference at the Ulsan Office of Education Press Center on the 6th and announced the main contents of the ‘2025 Ulsan Metropolitan City Education Cost Special Account Budget Plan’.
Next year’s budget is an increase of KRW 62.9 billion (2.8%) from 2024, but considering the KRW 169.4 billion appropriated from the Financial Stabilization Fund and the Education Facility Environment Improvement Fund, as well as increases in labor costs and current expenses, it is actually a significant negative budget.
The finances of the Office of Education are expected to become more difficult due to a decrease in major financial resources due to free high school education expenses and the sunset of the tobacco consumption tax and local education tax, as well as a continuous decrease in tax revenue.
As labor costs rise, the number of projects needed in the educational field, such as the expansion of Neulbom School and the establishment of a digital education environment, increases, the financial burden on the Office of Education is growing further.
Moreover, the financial situation of the Office of Education is expected to deteriorate further as the funds that have been accumulated have been exhausted as they continue to be used to make up for the tax revenue shortfall.
Accordingly, the Ulsan Office of Education will pursue the 2025 Ulsan Education Plan and national tasks without exception, but considering financial resources, reduce general project costs (excluding labor costs, educational welfare, etc.) by 15% and carry out the project as planned through expenditure restructuring and budget reduction. We plan to move forward with it.
The plan is to raise 169.4 billion won in insufficient financial resources by using 33.6 billion won from the Financial Stabilization Fund and 135.9 billion won from the Education Facility Environment Improvement Fund.
As a major expenditure project, a budget of 261.1 billion won to support customized learning for students will be allocated to strengthen academic ability, such as continuing to operate the 1 class, 2 teachers system, and opening a public online school to operate an online joint curriculum.
We strengthen student life education through student mental health care and mutual respect culture practice education, and revitalize reading and humanities education, such as campaigns to purify proper speech and writing.
We will expand customized sports activity spaces and build a complex adventure experience facility at the Ulsan Student Education Center to expand opportunities for students’ healthy growth and experiential activities.
265.4 billion won will be provided to provide comprehensive educational welfare support and create healthy schools.
Free private kindergarten education for 3 to 5 year olds, which started in 2023, will be completed in 2025, and high-quality, healthy meals will be provided by increasing the unit price of free school meals for students.
We will continue to improve ventilation in school kitchens and gyms to improve the health of students and faculty.
KRW 56.1 billion was allocated for educational reform projects, including the expansion of Neulbom School to second grade elementary school students, the introduction of artificial intelligence digital textbooks (AIDT), and digital education training for teachers.
To ensure that students can learn in a safe and comfortable environment, KRW 280.2 billion will be provided to promote projects to improve the educational environment, including school heating and cooling facilities.
In order to minimize disruption to students’ learning and provide customized education, we plan to establish a new alternative high school using the existing special room at Ulsan Goun Middle School, and to continue the policy of fostering schools of an appropriate size by establishing Yaksu High School and the 2nd Daun Elementary School.
In order to gradually expand Ulsan’s education base (infrastructure), the Ulsan Student Creativity Center, Children’s Reading Experience Center, and Ulsan Student Safety Experience Center will also be promoted without disruption.
Superintendent Cheon Chang-soo said, “The reduction in grants due to a sharp decrease in tax revenue is causing a crisis in education finances, and difficulties are increasing as we have to shoulder the full burden of tax revenue deficits for two consecutive years following last year,” adding, “Education is the government’s responsibility.” “The government must prepare special measures to stabilize local education finances, which are facing a serious crisis.”
Superintendent Cheon emphasized, “We will improve the quality of education and build a more solid foundation for future education so that we can dream and realize a diverse future within the framework of public education.”
Meanwhile, the Ulsan Office of Education has set the 2nd supplementary budget for 2024 at 2.2618 trillion won.
This is a reduction of 61.5 billion won compared to the first supplementary budget.
Tax revenues decreased by 123.8 billion won in ordinary grants due to a decrease in domestic taxes.
Due to the decrease in tax revenue, KRW 55.3 billion was reduced by reflecting the difference in successful bids and execution balances for school facility construction, and an additional KRW 37.1 billion was reduced by changing the business plan and adjusting continuing expenses to make up for the shortfall in tax revenue.
The plan is to cover the insufficient financial resources by utilizing 35.3 billion won from the Integrated Financial Stabilization Fund.