Dear Parents,

The Parents' Association is not at all satisfied with the development - or lack of it - regarding the ESF capacity issues, as well as the budget cuts proposed by the European commission. That is why another letter is being sent to Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel today. Below you will find a translation into English:

Dear Ms. Merkel,

We the Parents Association of the European School Frankfurt (ESF) representing the parents of students at the ESF turn to you once again due to the fact that contrary to all communications from the Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) there have still not been any satisfactory developments, progress or solutions found to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of students attending or likely to attend the ESF as a result of the large number of staff coming to Frankfurt to join the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM).

The 2014/15 school year started with an additional 298 students enrolled, and still more are expected to arrive throughout the school year, as new employees of SSM take up their positions with the ECB. To make it possible for the school to work at all for the 2014/15 school year, the Parents' Association with support of the European Central Bank has erected a container building as an interim short-term solution to house the complete Preprimary section of the ESF (9 classes) . Without this initiative of the parents the school would have had to reject entitled pupils. This has never happened before in the 61 years of history of the European schools. Germany still does not provide any solution to the problem – the next construction to solve the biggest problems is again an initiative by the Parents Association and the ECB with help of the City of Frankfurt.  

Since the Federal Republic of Germany has the responsibility to provide the required infrastructure for Category 1 European Schools (ES Munich, ES Karlsruhe and ES Frankfurt) it is the responsibility of the Federal Republic to provide buildings and initial furnishings to the extent necessary to accommodate all children enrolled to attend these schools. Please see attached to this letter copies of the relevant documents and their publications in the “Bundesgesetzblatt”.

Unfortunately the Federal Republic has failed to provide the necessary infrastructure, premises, furniture and fittings requirements for the ESF well in advance of the extension of the ECB to provide for the growing number of students, which has been anticipated for a long time, and it was clear that with the new established SSM in Frankfurt the school grounds in Praunheim at the current premises are far to small to host all pupils entitled to visit the ESF.

During the meeting on 29 April 2014 at the BMBF assurance was provided employees of that ministry that the Federal Republic has committed funds for the provision of the required short-term and permanent infrastructure requirements of the ESF. Specifically, it was agreed that the interim premises (the modular building) would be built by the City of Frankfurt on behalf of the Parents' Association and rented to Germany. However the rental agreement has still not been agreed. In addition the feasibility study for the identification and proposal of permanent school premises for 2500 children commissioned by Germany is not being pushed forward with the kind commitment that the ESF situation deems. This to demonstrates that the German Authorities still refuse to understand the implications this blatant breach of contract will have for the children attending the ESF. In this context we are quite surprised that the BMBF has cancelled the participation of both its representatives at the meeting of the Administration Board of the ESF on October 17, 2014, and is not able to nominate a substitute.

We believe that Germany is actually endangering the future of the European schooling system as a whole and in particular the futures of our children currently attending the ESF with the overcrowding and lack of basic facilities required by any growing school whether European or national.

Looking at the expected target number of employees at ECB and SSM for November 2014 when the SSM operations  start and the resulting significant growth in the number of children who are entitled to and will study at the ESF, quick and drastic action is required from the Federal Government to ensure that the school remains operational and does not become a health and safety hazard.

The founding principle of European Schools is that children of staff of European institutions can arrive at any time from the national educational systems and smoothly integrate back into their national systems. This requires that the schools have the facilities (i.e. teachers and infrastructure) to offer all official languages of the European Union. It would be impossible to enroll these children in any other school, whether public or private. This year alone there are many new students in the higher years of the Secondary school with no knowledge of German whatsoever and often poor English. The ESF is the only school in the area with the teaching body and expertise to to teach up to 23 languages at mother-tongue level.
 
This is why we believe it is high time that Germany fulfils its responsibility as a host country and a leading member of the European Union by providing an acceptable short-term solution at the Frankfurt-Praunheim location and pushes through the finalisation of the feasibility study with high priority to enable the resolution of the mid and long-term problems facing ESF.
 
Expecting your response we remain
 
With best regards
 
The Board of the ESF Parents' Association
 
Tony Obisesan                      Karl-Heinz Endres
President of the Board            Vice President of the Board

cc:
José Manuel Barroso – President, European Commission
Jean-Claude Juncker – President-elect, European Commission
Maroš Ševčovič – Vice President of the European Commission
Kristalina Georgieva – Vice President of the European Commission
Johanna Wanka – Bundesministerin für Bildung und Forschung
Martin Schulz – President, European Parliament
Therese Comodini Cachia – Member of the European Parliament
Kari Kivinen – Secretary General, European Schools
Mario Draghi – President, ECB
Peter Praet – Member of the Board, ECB
Danièle Nouy – SSM Chair
Peter Rennpferdt – ECB DG/H Deputy Director General
Carlos Montalvo – Chief Executive, EIOPA
Patrick Hoedjes – Chair of EIOPA IT & Data Committee
Péter Friss – Director, ESF
Kyriaki Chatzivassiliadou – stv. Direktorin, ESF
Heinz Fischböck – stv. Direktor, ESF
Karin Aumeier – Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Bau und Reaktorsicherheit
Heike Küchler – Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Bau und Reaktorsicherheit
Peter Feldman – Mayor, City of Frankfurt
Sarah Sorge – Education, City of Frankfurt
Sarah Conyers Barber – President, Interparents