The Metropolitan Council of Reggio Calabria, meeting in the Repaci hall of Palazzo Alvaro, approved a partial modification to the Sizing Plan of the school network, already discussed in the hall on 14 November 2023. On the subject, the only item on the agenda , there was an almost unanimous vote in the ‘Leonida Repaci’ room, with only one abstention.
The discussion, introduced and chaired by the metropolitan mayor Giuseppe Falcomatà, focused on the amendment presented in the chamber, on behalf of the majority, by the councilor delegate for Education Rudi Lizzi.
The modification to the metropolitan school sizing plan, permitted by the latest Milleproroghe Decree, approved by the Council of Ministers on 28 December 2023, will guarantee, for the 2024/2025 school year only, the activation of a further number of school autonomies to an extent not higher than 2.5% of the quota of corresponding positions of school manager and director of general and administrative services for each Region and that, for Calabria, 7 school autonomies can be recovered, of which 2 within the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria.
Specifically, Palazzo Alvaro, by approving the amendment presented by councilor Lizzi, focused “on the autonomy of the ‘Tommaso Campanella’ classical high school of Reggio Calabria, and the Istituto Comprensivo of Melicucco, since, in this case, it is not a matter of teaching management but of IC, operating in an area at high risk of school dropout. Furthermore, it was decided to maintain the autonomy of the ‘Preti-Frangipane’ artistic high school in Reggio Calabria, considered among the most representative artistic institutes of Southern Italy”.
During his speech, the deputy metropolitan mayor, Carmelo Versace highlighted “the conclusion of an important page for our metropolitan area, the result – he added – of constant and synergistic work with all 97 mayors of the Reggio area for the drafting of this plan ”.
The metropolitan councilors Michele Conia and Giuseppe Marino also spoke on the topic. The latter also presented an agenda, aimed at giving a mandate to the mayor Giuseppe Falcomatà to interface with the President of the Calabria Region, Roberto Occhiuto “precisely to protect the 16 Municipalities falling within the Greek-speaking area, including Reggio Calabria”. “The so-called Milleproroghe allows for further time, and it is important – added Marino – that the linguistic minorities of Reggio are also protected. In the alternative, Palazzo Alvaro could appeal to an administrative appeal”.
The agenda recorded, albeit with some clarifications from the minority councillors, the unanimous vote of the chamber. The director of the Education sector, Maria Teresa Scolaro, spoke on the purely technical aspects of the modification to the School Sizing Plan.
In conclusion, the metropolitan mayor Giuseppe Falcomatà wanted to thank the delegate councilor Rudi Lizzi “for having brought this proposal to the attention of the Metropolitan Council. With this resolution we safeguard the scholastic autonomy of the Melicucco comprehensive school, which is at high risk of desertification Therefore – he added – we are going to safeguard the school complex of an important internal area of our metropolitan city and, at the same time, we are restoring scholastic autonomy to two historic institutions of our city: the “Tommaso Campanella” classical high school and the ‘Mattia Preti – Frangipane’ Art High School which have peculiarities and characteristics that preserve them from merging, allowing them to continue to work independently”. “Unfortunately – highlighted the mayor – it is not approved, for purely techniques, the possibility of safeguarding the autonomy of the Melito Porto Salvo Institute”.
“However, we did not stop here – Falcomatà reiterated – an agenda was presented, with councilor Giuseppe Marino as the first signatory, but signed by all the majority councillors, which mandates the mayor to activate, immediately, a political interlocution with the president of the Calabria Region, Roberto Occhiuto, to safeguard the specificities of our territory and, in particular, in relation to linguistic minorities. Criterion – he specified – which would allow us to overcome the technical parameters which, today, do not allow us to safeguard the autonomy of the Melito school complex. So, we have not given up on these impossibilities.” “Now, with this agenda, we will activate ourselves first of all politically but then, if, and I hope not, this political discussion does not end well – concluded Falcomatà – we will give a mandate to our offices to activate all those procedures established by law to safeguard linguistic minorities and, therefore, all the peculiarities and specificities of our territory”.