▲ 경북교육청 전경     ©경북교육청

【브레이크뉴스 경북】진예솔 기자=경북교육청이 2025년도 경상북도 교육비특별회계 예산안을 올해보다 1633억원(3.0%) 늘어난 5조6174억원을 편성했다고 11일 밝혔다.

이번 예산안은 불안정한 재정 상황에도 늘봄학교와 디지털 교육, 교육 복지 등 미래 교육에 대한 투자를 대폭 강화한 점이 특징이다.

교육청은 사업의 필요성과 추진 시기, 집행 여력 등을 종합적으로 검토해 재정 운용의 효율성을 높이고, 부족한 재원은 자체 적립한 교육시설환경개선기금 1,920억 원을 활용해 내년도 경북 교육정책을 안정적으로 추진할 방침이다.

유사·중복되는 목적사업비를 통합하고 일부는 기본 운영비로 전환해 학교 재정 운영의 자율성을 높이고 학교 업무 경감을 도모했고 모든 사업을 원점에서 재검토해 불요불급한 사업은 축소하고, 2023년 주요 재정사업 자율 평가 결과를 예산에 반영했다.

내년 주요 사업 가운데 ‘성장을 지원하는 학습자 주도형 교육과정’을 위해 ▶두드림학교, 기초학력 오름학교 등 기초학습 부진 학생 책임지도 76억원 ▶국제 바칼로레아(IB) 프로그램 14억원 ▶고교학점제 95억원 ▶교과교실제 87억원 등 516억원을 편성했다.

또 ‘불확실한 미래에 대비하는 힘이 되는 미래 교육 추진’을 위해 ▶AI 디지털교과서 구매비 87억원 ▶학내 전산망 구축 관리 79억원 ▶글로벌 현장학습 14억원 ▶국제교류 활성화 15억원 등 3948억원을 편성했다.

이어 ‘교육공동체 회복과 조화로운 성장 지원’을 위해 ▶교육활동보호센터 운영 등 교권 보호 10억원 ▶학생마음건강지원 6억원 ▶가정형 wee 센터 운영 6억원 ▶무상급식 식품비 1623억원 ▶급식운영비 150억원 ▶학기 중 토·공휴일 급식비 지원 97억원 등 5109억원을 편성했다.

더불어 ‘학령인구 감소에 대한 능동적·선제적 대응’을 위해 ▶늘봄학교 운영 714억원 ▶거점형늘봄센터 28억원 ▶방과후자유수강권지원 245억원 ▶농산어촌 방과후학교 운영 100억원 ▶유보통합(방과후과정 학급운영비) 21억원 ▶작은 학교 가꾸기 5억원 등 1255억원을 편성했다.

임종식 교육감은 “어려운 재정 여건 속에서 한정된 재원을 효율적으로 활용해 학교 현장 지원과 학생 교육활동에 집중적으로 투자했다”며 “예산의 원활한 심의를 위해 도의회와 적극 소통하겠다” 밝혔다.

<구글 번역으로 번역한 영문 기사의 전문 입니다. 번역에 오류가 있을 수 있음을 밝힙니다.>

The Gyeongbuk Office of Education announced on the 11th that it has compiled a budget for the Gyeongbuk Education Special Account for 2025, which is 163.3 billion won (3.0%) more than this year, totaling 5.6174 trillion won.

This budget plan is characterized by significantly strengthening investments in future education, such as Neulbom School, digital education, and educational welfare, despite the unstable financial situation.

The Office of Education plans to comprehensively review the necessity of the project, the timing of the project, execution capacity, etc. to increase the efficiency of financial operation, and to utilize the 192 billion won in the Education Facility Environment Improvement Fund that it has accumulated for insufficient funds, and to stably promote the Gyeongbuk education policy for next year.

Similar and overlapping purpose project expenses were integrated and some were converted to basic operating expenses to increase the autonomy of school financial operation and reduce school workload. All projects were reviewed from the beginning to reduce unnecessary and non-urgent projects, and the results of the 2023 major financial project self-evaluation were reflected in the budget.

Among the major projects for next year, for the ‘student-led curriculum that supports growth’, ▶7.6 billion won for responsible guidance for students with poor basic learning such as Dudurim School and Basic Academic Ability Rising School, ▶1.4 billion won for the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, ▶9.5 billion won for the high school credit system, and ▶8.7 billion won for the subject classroom system, etc., a total of 51.6 billion won was allocated.

In addition, for the ‘promotion of future education that provides the power to prepare for an uncertain future’, ▶8.7 billion won for purchasing AI digital textbooks, ▶7.9 billion won for building and managing the school computer network, ▶1.4 billion won for global field study, and ▶1.5 billion won for activating international exchange, a total of 394.8 billion won was allocated.

In order to ‘support the recovery of the educational community and harmonious growth’, 1 billion won was allocated for protecting teachers’ rights, including operating an education activity protection center, 600 million won for supporting students’ mental health, 600 million won for operating a home-type wee center, 162.3 billion won for free school meal food expenses, 15 billion won for school meal operation expenses, and 9.7 billion won for school meal expenses on Saturdays and public holidays during the semester, totaling 510.9 billion won.

In addition, for ‘active and preemptive response to the decline in the school-age population’, 125.5 billion won was allocated for ▶ operating Neulbom schools, 71.4 billion won for base-type Neulbom centers, 2.8 billion won for after-school free-course support, 24.5 billion won for after-school free-course support, 10 billion won for operating after-school programs in rural and fishing villages, 2.1 billion won for integrated pre-school programs (after-school program class operation expenses), and 500 million won for fostering small schools.

Superintendent Lim Jong-sik said, “In difficult financial circumstances, we have invested heavily in supporting schools and student educational activities by efficiently utilizing limited resources,” and added, “We will actively communicate with the provincial council to ensure smooth deliberation on the budget.”