정부 “교부금 개편, 교육재정 안 줄어든다”…교육계 “초중등 재정 보장 안 돼” 반발

The government has abolished the local education budget transfer system, known as "교부금," which had been maintained for 55 years. This new system will now be based on the regional growth rate and changes in school-age population. The government insists that the 교부금 amount will not decrease, but the education sector argues that there is not enough to accommodate the increasing future education needs and to guarantee stable funding for primary and secondary education.

The government finalized the 'future response fund implementation plan' at the first finance operation strategy conference on this day. Starting next year, the 교부금 will be calculated based on the recent average regional growth rate over the past three years and will reduce according to the number of students decreasing. The regional growth rate includes the inflation rate, while the school-age population decrease accounts for 35%.

If the 교부금 amount decreases compared to the previous year, the government will set aside the difference to ensure a total amount does not decrease. This new 교부금 will be transferred to the newly created 'future response fund education and human resource account.' The government estimates that the total 교부금 for next year will be 78.9 trillion won, compared to around 79 trillion won under the previous system, which is expected to increase to 100 trillion won if the economic situation improves.

The government claims that the 교부금 amount will still be higher even with the new system in place. The 2025-2029 medium-term plan of the 교부금 recommends increases to 77.1 trillion won in 2027, 81.4 trillion won in 2028, and 85.9 trillion won in 2029. However, the government has not disclosed the projections if the 교부금 system is maintained.

The education sector demands a full overhaul of the 교부금 system, emphasizing that it protects the stability of educational funding. Over 363 local government, education, and citizen organizations, comprising the 'Local Education and School Financing Reform Emergency Response Movement,' gathered at the Seoul Government Office in Jongno-gu in the morning and criticized the 교부금 reform as a "dangerous issue" that undermines the autonomy and stability of education.

The groups called for the establishment of a formal public consultation mechanism involving the education minister, schools, parents, educators, and civil society. The government clarified that the 교부금 reform does not mean a reduction in educational funding. Education Minister Cho Eui-jin stated at a joint briefing with relevant ministries that the primary goal of the reform is to prevent any situation where primary and secondary student support budgets or human resources decline to unsustainable levels.

However, the education sector still considers the new reform insufficient for future education demand. The 16 provincial education ministers in the Korean Education Minister's Conference noted that if the 교부금 amount decreases compared to the previous year, the government's safety measures would only maintain the nominal total amount from the previous year.

The education sector argues that even if the 교부금 total remains the same, real financial resources may decrease due to rising costs such as inflation, human resources, and school operation expenses. The Ministry of Education requested that the 교부금 be specified for primary and secondary education in the future response fund during the consultation process, but this requirement was not included in the final 교부금 reform.