222 Dutch primary schools to receive delayed funding after court ruling
A court has ruled that 222 primary school boards in the Netherlands are entitled to 7.12% of unpaid personnel costs from 2022. This shortfall, caused by a funding system transition, will now be compensated, easing financial pressure on affected schools.
| Key Data Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of school boards | 222 |
| Unpaid period | August to December 2022 |
| Shortfall percentage | 7.12% of personnel costs |
| Total funding affected | Just over 7% of primary school personnel costs for the period |
| Funding system change | Transition from school-year to calendar-year funding in 2023 |
| Court ruling | Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State (25 March 2026) |
| Previous ruling | Confirmed by Midden-Nederland District Court |
The State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science is responsible for funding primary education in the Netherlands, ensuring schools receive adequate financial resources for personnel and operations. This ruling highlights the government’s obligation to address funding discrepancies arising from policy transitions.
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external link to whydonate.comRead the full translated article below
State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science must pay personnel costs for 222 school boards
The State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science must pay personnel costs for 222 primary school boards. This concerns just over 7% of the personnel costs for primary schools for the period from August to December 2022, which the State Secretary failed to pay. This is the outcome of a ruling by the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State today (25 March 2026). The Division thereby confirms an earlier ruling by the Midden-Nederland District Court.
Funding system
Each month, primary schools receive funding from the State Secretary for their staff. Between August 2006 and July 2022, this funding was provided per school year and paid out on the basis of a payment schedule in which schools received money every month, but not the same amount each month. Over the first five months of the school year (August to December), schools received slightly less money (34.55% instead of 41.67%) and 7.12% was underpaid. In the last seven months of the school year (January to July), schools received slightly more money, namely 65.45% (instead of 58.33%) and 7.12% was overpaid. The underpayment in the first five months of the school year was thus compensated by the overpayment in the last seven months. In total, schools received 100% funding each school year. During the transition to calendar-year funding in 2023, primary schools received 34.55% for the period from August to December 2022 as usual. However, according to the schools, this is insufficient because it has resulted in a shortfall of 7.12% that is no longer compensated since the introduction of calendar-year funding. The State Secretary disputes this.
Shortfall not made up
The Administrative Jurisdiction Division agrees with the District Court that a shortfall of 7.12% arose during the transition period from August to December 2022, which the State Secretary has not compensated for since. In its ruling, the Division explains that this shortfall arose in 2006 when the funding system for primary schools was adjusted. This shortfall was subsequently compensated each year by overpayment in the period from January to July. However, when the new funding system was introduced in 2023, the shortfall from autumn 2022 remained.
Consequences of the ruling
The 222 school boards are therefore short of 7.12% of their personnel funding once. The State Secretary will therefore have to make a supplementary payment.
Read the ruling with case number 202404797/1 here.