School District councillors order measure against the will of Wila
The district councils of Pfäffikon and Winterthur have ruled against Wila in Tösstal in a dispute over school allocations. Pupils who live in the Turbenthal municipality are no longer allowed to go to school in Wila.
26.06.2024, 11:28
SDA
The dispute in Tösstal has been simmering for a long time and has been in breach of municipal law since 2021: the voters of Wila repeatedly rejected sending pupils from Steinenbachtal to a school further away in Turbenthal.
Officially, however, the political municipality and school municipality must be in agreement. This requires a boundary adjustment. The Pfäffikon and Winterthur district councils have now completed this, as they announced on Wednesday.
With the corresponding consequences for pupils in the hamlets on Turbenthal municipal territory near the village of Wila. An appeal against the decision can still be lodged with the cantonal government.
Border runs through the valley
The district councillors write that they have opted for a mild measure. The measure serves to enforce the will of the legislator, even against the decision of the Wila primary school community. A fine, for example, would also have been possible.
The municipalities are free to agree follow-up contracts for the children so that they can continue to send them to the same school. In this way, cases of hardship could be avoided.
In Steinenbachtal, the border between the two municipalities runs right through the middle. Until now, all children went to school in Wila, including those from the Turbenthal side. With the border adjustment, however, children who live just a few meters apart now have to go to school in the other municipality.
