Laaneranna municipality transfers donation back to businessman Parvel Pruunsild

The door of Metsküla school will remain closed this fall. Photo: Mailiis Ollino

The Laaneranna rural municipality has returned 40,000 euros to businessman Parvel Pruunsild, which Pruunsild had donated in mid-July for the maintenance costs of Metskula School in the municipality for one year, the regional Laane Elu writes.

According to Pruunsild, this was a surprise.

Parvel Pruunsild. Photo: Peeter Langovits

«Yes, it has indeed been returned,» he said. «I think this is nonsense. I know that the school agreed to various options, including the withdrawal of court cases. To me, this looks like spite or one-upping, because there is a solution. Suitable grants for Metskula School are coming from next year and there is money for one year of operation.»

Laaneranna rural municipality mayor Ingvar Saare told Laane Elu that the money was indeed transferred back to Pruunsild.

«This is because, by the time the materials were submitted to the council`s agenda last Friday, no compromise proposal had been received to be formalized into a draft,» Saare said.

The next Laaneranna rural municipality council meeting will be held today [Thursday] and the deadline for submitting proposals was on Friday.

The last time the council met was on July 20.

«Then the bill presented by Raul Oberschneider was not adopted,» Saare said.

At the time, Oberschneider submitted a proposal to exclude the part concerning Metskula School from the March council's decision to reorganize the school network.

«The submission of the bill was directly related to the donation by Parvel Pruunsild. The council did not support running a municipal school on the basis of a donation and the council`s decision from March remains in effect. The municipal government must proceed from the council's decision,» Saare said.

According to the rural municipality mayor, the Metskula School community did not express a desire to establish a private school.

Ingvar Saare. Photo: Tairo Lutter

«In that case, it would have been conceivable to continue with the school's activities this school year with Pruunsild`s money,» Saare said. «The state support measures that are being talked about were supposed to come in July. However, until now, August, it is not yet known under what conditions and how small schools will be supported. The municipal government cannot base itself on conditions that do not yet exist.»

Saare said that if the Metskula School community had wanted an extra year to establish a private school, the municipal government would have supported it.

«However, such a request did not come. Last Friday, we returned the money to Pruunsild, and on Monday, also the 100 euros donated by another donor for the same purpose,» Saare said.