Council decides to close Vasarainen, Kodisjoki and Kortela Schools
Rauma City Council decided on the 17 June to close Vasarainen, Kodisjoki and Kortela schools. The decision was taken by a vote of 28-15. Vasarainen school will close at the end of the academic year on 31 July 2026 and the pupils will move to Uotila school. Kodisjoki school will also close on 31 July 2026 and pupils will move to Unaja school. Kortela school will close on 31 July 2027 and pupils will move to Nanunkallio school.
Three separate votes were needed to reach a decision. After two failed proposals, the base proposal was passed by a vote of 28-15. The council also approved a measure to provide direct transport for children from Kodisjoki school to Unaja school.
The decision was witnessed by dozens of residents in the council chamber and the live broadcast on the city’s YouTube channel had at its peak 127 viewers. A recording of the meeting is available on YouTube.
There were originally two options for Rauma’s new primary school network. In both options, pupils from four schools would have moved to other schools between 2026 and 2030. Kaaro was the fourth school in the plan produced by the Ministry of Education.
However, the steering group that led the school network planning process decided that the evaluation of Kaaro school can be postponed to the next council term, when it is better known how the new housing area in Vanha-Lahti will be developed and whether it will affect the number of children in the area. The steering group’s solution also succeeded with the Education Committee, as well as the City Council and ended up as the base proposal on the Council’s list.
The reform of the school network was launched when the City Council decided last December to carry out an assessment on the school network. The reason for this is the sharp decline in age groups and, at the same time, in pupil numbers. The starting point for the planning has been to ensure that the children of Rauma can continue to receive high-quality basic education in the future, while maintaining the structure of education, time frames of the classes and controlled group sizes.
The assesment and plans for the new school network were presented to the local residents at the beginning of April, and at the same time began public and political discussions, consultations of the local residents and a child impact assessment.
The materials, assessments and plans for the school network reform are still available at www.rauma.fi/raumas-school-network-reform. The Council’s decision will be available once the minutes have been finalised.
