“Contribute to a fund if grants rise, make up the shortfall if they fall” ... Superintendents propose 70 trillion won grant-sharing plan to National Assembly

[Financial News] Provincial and metropolitan city superintendents visited the National Assembly to propose a win-win plan for reforming local education finance, centered on contributions to a national future fund and measures to prevent indiscriminate child abuse complaints against teachers engaged in legitimate educational activities. The Korean Council of Superintendents of Education, an association of superintendents from all 17 cities and provinces, said on the 5th that it had visited the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the Democratic Party of Korea’s Policy Committee in succession on the 4th to call for the swift passage of bills on these measures and institutional improvements.
In a meeting with the Democratic Party’s Policy Committee, the council proposed a “win-win plan for education finance” that would maintain the current 20.79% link between local education grants and domestic tax revenue while sharing the costs between the national government and education offices. If domestic tax revenue rises by more than 5% from the previous year, two-thirds of the increase above that threshold would go to the National Future Response Fund. Conversely, if revenue falls by more than 5%, the government would make up one-third of the decline beyond that threshold.
According to the council’s analysis, under this plan, grants from 2027 to 2030 would total 70.4 trillion won more than under the government’s reform plan. At the same time, about 44.5 trillion won could be secured for national future-response funding over the same period. The council said it would use the 22.3 trillion won increase in grants allocated to education offices for urgent education needs, including securing the legally mandated number of teaching positions and improving aging school facilities.
Calls also continued for amendments to the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Child Abuse Crimes to protect teachers’ rights. According to Ministry of Education data, of 993 child abuse cases for which superintendents’ opinions were submitted between September 2023 and February 2026, 898—or 90.4%—were closed with no finding of suspicion or without referral to prosecutors. Although nine out of every 10 cases were found to have no grounds for suspicion, teachers have endured prolonged psychological and financial hardship during investigations.
Under current law, police are subject to a rule requiring them to refer every child abuse case to prosecutors, even when there is no suspicion of a crime. The council therefore asked the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to swiftly pass a bill allowing police to close cases they determine have no grounds for suspicion without referring them to prosecutors.
Seo Young-kyo, chair of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, replied that she would work to ensure substantive discussion at the committee’s bill subcommittee on the 19th. Kwon Chil-seung, chair of the Democratic Party’s Policy Committee, also said the party would carefully review the proposed alternative for reforming the grant system.
“Protecting teachers’ legitimate educational activities and securing stable local education finances are key tasks for improving the quality of public education,” said Geun-sik Chung, chair of the Korean Council of Superintendents of Education. “We will continue to consult with the National Assembly to create an environment where teachers can teach with confidence and focus on education.”  

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter