The City Council approved the service network for early childhood education as well as pre-primary and basic education.

The decision was made after votes, as the Left Alliance council group and some individual councillors proposed amendments to the City Board’s original proposal.

The Left Alliance proposed that sixth-grade students in the Käpylä school area would remain at Käpylä School starting from the beginning of the 2027–2028 school year.
They also proposed that Karhula School would become a comprehensive school for grades 6–9 starting from the 2027–2028 school year, with sixth-grade students from Otsola School transferring there in 2027–2028 and 2028–2029. Sixth graders in the Kyminkartano and Käpylä school areas would remain in their current schools from the 2027–2028 school year onward.
Additionally, they proposed merging Otsola School with Käpylä School, where teaching for grades 1–6 would begin from the 2029–2030 school year, and that pre-primary education in the area would be arranged in vacated early childhood education facilities in the 2029–2030 and 2030–2031 school years.
The proposal lost the vote to the original proposal by 41–10.

Regarding Hovinsaari School, the Left Alliance proposed that the school should continue operating as it is for the time being and be merged with Kotkansaari School for grades 1–5 and pre-primary education once a new use has been found for the Hovinsaari school building (east of Hyväntuulentie).
They further proposed that the part of the Hovinsaari school catchment area west of Hyväntuulentie should be merged with Langinkoski School’s catchment area once a new use has been found for the building.
This proposal also lost by 41–10.

Juho Eerola (Finns Party) proposed that the service network plan be approved only for early childhood education. This proposal lost by 45–6.

As a result, the following changes to the service network will be implemented over the coming years:

Basic education

Karhula school area:

• Sixth-grade students from the Käpylä school area will transfer to Karhula School from the start of the 2027–2028 school year.
• Karhula School will become a comprehensive school for grades 6–9 from the 2027–2028 school year onward, receiving sixth-grade students from the Kyminkartano, Käpylä and Otsola school areas.
• Otsola School will be merged with Käpylä School, where teaching for grades 1–5 will begin from the 2029–2030 school year. Käpylä School will also provide pre-primary education for the area.

Karhuvuori school area:

• Students in grades 1–5 from the Ruonala school area will transfer to Aittakorpi School from the 2029–2030 school year onward. Aittakorpi School will then provide education for grades 1–5 as well as pre-primary education.
• Students from areas east of Mussalontie in the Ruonala and Aittakorpi areas will transfer to Langinkoski School starting from the first grade and pre-primary education from the 2027–2028 school year.

Kotkansaari school area:

• Hovinsaari School will be merged with Kotkansaari School for grades 1–5 from the 2027–2028 school year onward (east of Hyväntuulentie). Kotkansaari School will also provide pre-primary education.
• The areas of Hirssaari, Rytäniemi and Ristiniemi will be transferred from Mussalo School’s catchment area to Kotkansaari School’s catchment area starting from the 2027–2028 school year.

Langinkoski school area:

• Preparatory education for primary school-aged pupils will be moved from Hovinsaari School to Langinkoski School from the 2027–20328 school year onward.
• The part of the Hovinsaari school catchment area west of Hyväntuulentie will be merged with Langinkoski School’s catchment area from the 2027–2028 school year onward. (Otherwise, Hovinsaari School will be merged with Kotkansaari School’s catchment area.)

Monitoring:

• The development of student numbers in Korkeakoski, Kyminkartano, Pihkoo and Tavastila schools will be reviewed by the end of 2030, and decisions on possible measures will be made separately.

Early childhood education

• The Velho daycare centre will close by 2028, approximately in autumn 2027. Its operations will move to the Utumetsä daycare centre. Replacement facilities for open early childhood education will be arranged in West Kotka.
• Rauhala daycare centre will also close by 2028, approximately in autumn 2027, with its operations moving to the William Ruth daycare centre. The Rauhala property will be used for open early childhood education services in Karhula.
• Metsola daycare centre requires renovation, with investment planned for 2029–2033 if its operations continue. A decision on its future is expected around 2028 based on the development of the number of children.
• Käpylä daycare centre will likely be phased out in the early 2030s as service demand decreases.
• Helilä daycare centre will likely also be phased out in the early 2030s as demand decreases.
• The development of the number of children at Tavastila daycare centre will be reviewed by the end of 2030, with decisions on possible measures made separately.