Daegu education office submits W4.33tr budget for 2027

The Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education has drawn up its 2027 budget with a focus on maintaining student learning activities as much as possible amid difficult local education finance conditions.

The education office submitted a proposed budget of 4.33 trillion won ($3.24 billion) for next year's Daegu metropolitan special education account to the Daegu Metropolitan Council on Monday — a 1.7 percent increase, or 72.5 billion won, from this year.

The budget was prepared against a backdrop of deteriorating fiscal conditions, driven by a restructuring of local education grants from the central government, the expiration of a local education tax on tobacco consumption, reduced national support for free high school education and the depletion of reserve funds.

Fiscal pressures were compounded by rising personnel costs — including a 3.9 percent pay raise for civil servants and the introduction of a new equity allowance for non-regular workers — on top of expanded after-school vouchers, the rollout of the high school credit system and growing demand for special and multicultural education.

In response, the education office restructured its spending by consolidating overlapping projects and adjusting disbursement schedules. It trimmed budgets for large-scale facility projects and the replacement of aging smart devices, while preserving funding for student learning activities as much as possible.

On the revenue side, the main sources are 3.6 trillion won in transfers from the central government, 620.5 billion won from local governments and 114.6 billion won from self-generated revenue and carryovers.

On the expenditure side, personnel costs for teachers and staff account for 62.2 percent of the total budget at around 2 trillion won, up 130.7 billion won, or 5.1 percent, from the previous year. The facilities budget was set at 329.2 billion won — down 58.9 billion won, or 15.2 percent — with spending focused on priority projects such as student safety and improvements to the learning environment.

Among the major education programs, 429 billion won will go toward strengthening students' emotional development and education welfare. Some 78.6 billion won has been allocated to building a future-oriented education system through the International Baccalaureate program and the high school credit system, while 448.8 billion won is earmarked for AI education and the cultivation of future talent.

An additional 301.8 billion won will support after-school programs, elementary care services, special education and early childhood education, while 81.8 billion won has been set aside for global talent development through civic education and international exchange programs.

Daegu Metropolitan Superintendent of Education Kang Eun-hee said the office would "do its utmost to faithfully support students' learning and growth even amid difficult fiscal conditions, and to open the path to a global education capital through deep learning and holistic development."

Meanwhile, the 2027 budget proposal is set to go through deliberations at the 330th regular session of the Daegu Metropolitan Council before receiving final approval at a plenary session on Nov. 14.