FINANCING

The basic framework for financing and funding is the yearly education budget of the Federation, the Länder and the local authorities in Germany. The methods of financing education in detail - for example teaching aids, transport of pupils - differs from Land to Land.

The public financing arrangements for the education system are the result of decision-making processes in the political and administrative system in which the various forms of public spending on education are apportioned between Federation, Länder, and local authorities and according to education policy and objective requirements. Agencies responsible for financing are: Government, Land, districts (rural districts and municipalities with the status of a district), communes. Decisions on the financing of education are taken at  all three levels, but over 90 % of the funds are provided by the Länder and the local authorities.

Staff costs of teachers (salary and so on) are financed by the Ministries of Education and Cultural Affairs - in general under the administration of Education and Culture. Teachers are employees of the Länder, except in private schools. Non-teaching persons (without the qualification of a teacher), such as social workers, nurses, "Integration-helpers", support personnel, as a rule, are financed by the local authorities: the maintaining bodies (Schulträger). They are responsible for funding the material costs and the non-teaching staff payroll.

According the transport to and from school each of the Länder has its own arrangements. It is generally the responsibility of the districts and municipalities with the status of a district, and in some Länder of the communes individually, to ensure adequate provision for transporting pupils to and from the school they attend. School transport is funded by maintaining bodies (usually the local authority). In most cases subsidies are granted by the Land in question.

The maintaining bodies of private schools receive some financial support from the Länder, in various forms. All of the Länder guarantee standard financial support to schools entitled to such assistance; this includes contributions to the standard staff and running costs.

Special needs education has the same mechanism of financing as mainstream education. There is a difference for specialised teachers working in special schools and special teachers belonging to special schools, but working in mainstream schools. (The salary is the same). Some special schools are funded by the local authorities or the communes (except. support centres and schools for learning disabilities, Förderschulen). Other schools are funded by the districts (except schools intellectually disabled pupils). Supra regional working schools (except schools for blind and visually impaired, schools for deaf and hearing impaired) are, as a rule, funded by the Länder.

There have been recent developments concerning the funding of special needs education. Diverse models exist in the Länder. For the process of decision-making questions that have to be clarified focus upon:
- What kind of measures could be the best for the child?
- Which type of school is required?
- How suitable are the conditions relating to personal support/assistance, the organisation, of the school etc.?
- The performance of the child (neuter prerequisites)
- The intensity of special education required by the particular child,
- The question of additional needs, such as technical aids, transport, necessity of school attendants, questions of architectural changes for better access etc.

If there is necessity for additional funding- more than the normal education funding- in this case the maintaining school bodies and/or the ministry of social affairs with their laws of BSHG and/or KJHG share the responsibility.

According to the financing regulation of joint education of pupils with special educational needs, there has been a development in practice. At present it is mostly understood that "qualified joint education of disabled children is accepted as "Integration-help", Eingliederungshilfe, in accordance to the Federal Social Security Act (§39/§40) BSHG- Bundessozialhilfegesetz and the Law of Children and Adults Welfare, KJHG-Kinder und Jugendhilfe Gesetz."
(Source: "Die Lage der Behinderten und die Entwicklung der Rehabilitation", Dritter Bericht der Bundesregierung, Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Sozialordnung, Bonn 1994).

In some cases, there is mixed financing between KJHG and BSHG. There are also regional differences in decision-making concerning funding in the Länder of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The organisation of the decision- making concerning the allocation of the conditions and funds and the decision about the type of support for specific children, is handled differently in the Länder. In some Länder, co-ordinating committees – support committees , Förderausschuss - consult and make a proposal. This proposal is the basis for the decision by the school administration, under consideration of the particular school law and recommendations of each Land.

In some Länder, the funding system for pupils with special educational needs is in a process of changing. The focus of the modification is to move responsibility from the Land to the district and from the district to the schools so as to facilitate the process of integration. However, this process is not comparable in all of the different Länder.

As a further reference source, please go to the following:
"The education System in the Federal Republic of Germany". Information Dossier for the Education Network in the European Union. Secretariat of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany. Bonn, 1996 (in co-operation with EURYDICE)

The level of early years education is not part of the public school system, and Kindergarten attendance is generally not free of charge. Institutions providing pre-school education are funded by public and non public bodies (local authorities, church, etc.) As a rule, organising bodies of both voluntary sector and public child and youth welfare services receive financial support from the Länder for the material and staffing costs of the Kindergärten. In addition, parental contributions are levied to help cover costs; this depend on parents’ financial circumstances.

Transition period: Based on legal regulations on the part of the Federation (Federal Training Assistance Act- Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz) pupils from grade 10 onwards at general and vocational secondary schools are entitled to financial support from the state in the  form of a grant, if they have no other means (mainly from their parents’ income) of maintenance and financing training.