School Policy in Lohmar: Additional Class at the Gymnasium and Challenges in April 2026

Increasing Demand and the Urgent Decision

The formation of a fifth entrance class at the Gymnasium Lohmar for the academic year 2026/2027 was urgently necessary, as a total of 141 students applied—more than the current capacity of 120 places allowed. Approximately 124 of them lived in Lohmar. The administration made an urgent decision to establish the class, as a regular extraordinary meeting of the School Committee was no longer feasible in terms of timing. This, however, led to criticism, especially from the GRÜNE (Green) faction, who considered the procedure illegal and not transparent.

The urgent decision was made on March 18, 2026, and submitted for approval to the School Committee on April 15, 2026. Although the School Committee did not approve the decision, the class was maintained to avoid chaos in the registration planning. The Cologne Regional Government approved the establishment of the fifth class on March 20, 2026.

Tensions in the School Committee: Legal and Organizational Challenges

The School Committee criticized the urgent decision by the administration as unnecessary and illegal. The GRÜNE faction accused the administration of bypassing the participation rights of the committee. Particularly criticized was the late coordination between the school leadership and the administration, which led to a misjudgment of the actual capacity.

In addition, the GRÜNE faction raised questions about the spatial possibilities at the comprehensive school, which, according to the administration, were not sufficient to accommodate four Lohmar students, although the class size would have theoretically allowed it. The administration argued that the class size at the comprehensive school had already reached the reference value of 25–29 and that the spatial capacities were fully utilized. The School Committee therefore demanded that the four rejected students be accepted at the comprehensive school after all.

Advanced School Development Planning: The Future of Schools in Lohmar

To create long-term planning security, the city of Lohmar commissioned an external expert agency to conduct advanced school development planning. The goal is to analyze the future development of schools—the Gymnasium, the comprehensive school, and the primary level—and to establish a decision-making basis for the organization, class size, and spatial planning. The costs for the project amount to approximately 8,000 euros, which will be covered from the budget.

This planning is especially necessary due to the increasing number of enrollments at secondary schools. For the upcoming academic year, 162 children were admitted to the comprehensive school, of which 160 were from Lohmar and two from Overath. At the same time, the comprehensive school is currently operating with six classes per year, which clearly illustrates the spatial strain.

Conclusion: Transparency, Legal Security, and Planning Security in the Focus

The decisions in April 2026 show that school policy in Lohmar is on a tense tightrope between increasing demand, legal security, and organizational planning. Although the urgent decision for the additional class at the Gymnasium provided short-term solutions, it also caused long-term friction. The criticism from the School Committee underlines the need to better coordinate registration periods and meetings in the future to safeguard participation rights.

The advanced school development planning now provides the opportunity to make reliable long-term decisions. In particular, the question of how to respond to the demand for school places in the coming years will play a central role.