Government's Local Education Finance Redistribution Met with Counter-Measure…Provincial Councilor Kim Sun-hee Prepares First-Ever Ordinance in Nation

Councilor Kim Sun-hee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly (People Power Party, Yongin District 6) announced on the 22nd that she will proceed with legislative notice for the "Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education Financial Soundness Ordinance" to ensure long-term sustainability and transparency of Gyeonggi education finances.

According to Councilor Kim, the ordinance is aimed at proactively addressing the intensifying financial instability of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, which relies 95.2 percent of its revenue on transfer income due to restructuring of local education finance allocations, as well as rising fixed financial demands such as new school construction and mitigation of overcrowded classrooms, and long-term debt burdens from lease-based private finance initiatives (BTL).

In particular, the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly is the first among the 16 metropolitan and provincial offices of education nationwide to establish an independent financial soundness ordinance.

Councilor Kim Sun-hee emphasized, "In the rapidly changing education finance environment, institutional mechanisms to systematically manage revenue shortfalls and debt risks have been insufficient. There is a need to proactively establish an institutional foundation to reduce future financial burdens on Gyeonggi education finances and maintain medium- to long-term fiscal soundness."

Councilor Kim plans to enhance policy completeness by going through in-depth deliberation processes with key related departments of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, including the Planning and Coordination Division and the Budget and Finance Management Division, to ensure the effectiveness of the ordinance.

Through this process, the detailed provisions were carefully refined to enable practical education finance management. The ordinance includes △responsibilities of the superintendent of education △principles of education finance fund management △establishment of sound finance operation plans △debt management and debt limit setting △establishment of a financial soundness committee △assessment and disclosure of fiscal soundness, among other systematic provisions.

Councilor Kim stated, "Education finance should be a solid foundation supporting students' futures. Through proactive debt management and planned fund operations, we will create a healthy financial structure that does not burden future generations with excessive debt and financial burdens."

Councilor Kim also said, "As this is the first such initiative among national education offices, we will carefully review various opinions during the legislative notice period and make our best efforts so that the ordinance can reach final fruition at the 394th regular session in November."