Tallinn music and ballet school seeks €380,000 from ministry to finish school year

The Tallinn School of Music and Ballet (MUBA) has requested €379,702 in additional funding from Estonia's Ministry of Education and Research to cover a budget shortfall and ensure studies continue uninterrupted through the end of the school year.

School Director Piret Rips explained in her request that the primary cause of the shortfall is an announced budget cut of roughly 11 percent, which the school regards as disproportionately large. Additionally, an increase in teachers' minimum salaries introduced at the end of last year created new financial obligations that had to be absorbed within the school's existing operating budget, since the ministry did not provide extra funding to cover the raise.

Rips said the added salary costs had to come from the same budget that was already insufficient for the school's actual needs, meaning the institution has now been underfunded for a second consecutive year.

Additional costs and needs

The shortfall has been made worse by the enrollment of 16 additional students this fall, adding €34,661 in costs, along with €58,500 for service contracts and extra compensation needed to carry out instruction, plus years of deferred investment.

The school urgently needs funding to meet occupational health requirements (€75,000), maintain its IT and operational infrastructure (€185,200 total), and renew its stock of musical instruments (€57,000) so that learning materials can continue to be provided to students free of charge. Rips said budget cuts have prevented the school from maintaining its existing instruments or buying new ones, even though the ministry has told the school it is obligated to supply curriculum-required materials and equipment, including instruments, to students at no cost.

Savings measures and next steps

Since spring, MUBA's new management has introduced several cost-cutting measures expected to generate about €162,333 in savings and extra revenue this year, rising to nearly €387,620 next year. Eight administrative staff have been laid off, teaching-load requirements for instrument teachers have increased, some elective courses have been cut, and the student dormitory now charges a fee, bringing in €42,240 this year and €95,040 next year. As a result, administrative payroll has fallen from 28 percent to 23 percent of teaching staff payroll.

Rips said all options for cutting costs this academic year without harming existing curricula or teaching quality have now been exhausted. Larger structural changes, such as expanding group lessons and reducing individual instruction for lower-performing students, cannot take effect until the next academic year and will in some cases require ministry approval.