Île-de-France spends less per student than national average

The Île-de-France region spent 2,380€ per high school student per year between 2021 and 2023, below the national average of 3,188€. This makes Île-de-France the region with the lowest per-student spending in France, according to data from the Ministry of National Education.

Funding increases lag behind student growth

Céline Malaisé, a communist regional council member, noted that funding increases have been much slower than the number of students since 2016. This has led to weakened maintenance and minor maintenance capabilities in high schools, contributing to the accumulation of small failures that cause breakdowns and more significant problems.

Student protests against poor infrastructure

Student protests in Île-de-France began in Créteil and spread to areas like Seine-Saint-Denis, where several high schools had previously mobilized against aging infrastructure and for more resources. Demonstrations included signs such as "C'est la hess, la faute à Pécresse," directed at Valérie Pécresse, the regional president.

Pécresse calls protests vandals and cancels aid

Valérie Pécresse expressed sadness over the student mobilization, reducing it to a group of vandals in a regional newspaper. In a television interview, she described the protests as urban riots organized on the dark web and announced the cancellation of regional aid for students sanctioned by a disciplinary council, a move criticized as populist and imitative of the far right.

2026 budget includes operating and investment funds

The 2026 forecast budget for high schools in Île-de-France includes 349 million euros for operating expenses and 786 million euros for investment. However, operating expenses and investment are governed by different rules, and the total budget of 5.8 billion euros for the region must be considered alongside the 470 public high schools and 453,270 students.

Investment per student remains below national average

Annual investment per student in Île-de-France was 1,114€ during Pécresse's first term (2016-2021), compared to a national average of 1,210€. For the period 2022-2025, the investment per student in Île-de-France was 1,206€, below the national average of 1,347€.

Multi-year investment plan lacks transparency

A multi-year investment plan of 6.6 billion euros, initiated in 2016, lacks an inventory of high school buildings and transparent programming of renovation works based on objective priorities. The regional court of accounts warned in 2021 that only 25% of the announced funds were actually spent.

Reorganizations led to halted projects

Eight reorganizations have been imposed on the regional direction of Heritage and High Schools, increasing the number of high schools managed by a team of engineers and technicians from 25 in 2016 to over 40 in 2021, leading to unpaid bills and halted construction projects.

Regional operating funding has declined

Regional operating funding (DGFL) for public high schools has decreased by 37€ per student since 2016. Between 2021 and 2027, the funding has decreased by 13.5% in constant euros. From 2026 to 2027, while inflation is estimated at 2.5% and 1.7%, the regional funding will only increase by 0.68%.

Funding growth lags behind student numbers

Since 2016, the funding has increased much more slowly than the number of students. Between 2023 and 2027, while the number of students increased by 6.88%, the regional funding increased by only 1.62%. The amount planned for 2027 will decrease by 12€25 per student.

Malaisé calls for increased funding and reforms

Céline Malaisé emphasized the need for the region to address student demands by increasing regional operating funding, indexing it to inflation and the number of students, and implementing a catch-up mechanism for previous decreases. She also called for the cancellation of illegal subsidies to private high schools and the revaluation of the national grant for school equipment, incorporating climate considerations.

Region needs to push for national funding changes

The region must also request modifications to the national funding system for high schools based on their social position index (IPS) and include private high schools under contract. Additionally, the region should advocate for hiring educational and social workers and increasing their salaries, as well as facilitating public project management of high schools.