Bernburg. Life has returned to the yellow school building on Tolstoiallee, right in the heart of the district town. During the lunch break, District Administrator Markus Bauer visits the pupils at the ‘Lebensweg’ special needs school, accompanied by Headteacher Heike Hempe. They are temporarily holding their lessons in the newly fitted-out alternative premises so that the necessary refurbishment can take place at their original location on Karl-Marx-Straße by the end of 2027. So whilst part of the building there has already been vacated, the old school building on nearby Tolstoiallee is filling up again. The school authority, Salzlandkreis, is now reactivating it and has rectified all the defects that led to its closure for several years. Together with the school management and the regional education authority, with the support of the district council and with the help of funding, the district has found a solution that has got off to a good start.
The first classes at the special school moved into the temporary accommodation in February. There are now seven of them, using six fully equipped classrooms in the Tolstoiallee building and a further room that will later be used as a staff room. The assembly hall, the cafeteria and the disabled WC and bathroom are nearing completion and will be available to pupils and teaching staff in a few days for their specific school day. Work is continuing to create a safe space for children with mental and physical disabilities.
"We see a convincing solution for a good school location in the city centre, after many analyses and considerations that were necessary, after discussions with the parents concerned and the school management. Short distances for children, parents and teachers," said District Administrator Markus Bauer during the joint tour of the new premises. "It's about our children living and learning in the Salzland district. As the school authority, we are creating modern and safe teaching conditions in both school complexes that meet the needs of our pupils. This is fully in line with our strategy for the future, as we are also investing what we can in our own building stock for effective utilisation."
Heike Hempe reported on site how the first children from the special school and their team of teachers quickly settled into the new, spacious surroundings. The most important thing: "Lessons were able to continue smoothly." Motivation and enjoyment of learning have increased because the construction work has ensured the right teaching conditions for the special school concept in the long term."
District Administrator Bauer thanked the school management and the teaching staff led by Heike Hempe for their excellent cooperation. After all, they have faced and continue to face just as many challenges as the district administration itself. The responsible head of department, Anke Meyer, and employees from building management were therefore also involved in the dialogue on the progress of the work.
In recent years, the number of pupils at the "Lebensweg" special school in Bernburg has risen significantly, pushing it to its capacity limits. Five years ago, there were still around 100 pupils, but in the current school year, 136 girls and boys in 20 classes are attending the school. And the trend is rising, as the district's school development planning shows. Despite a number of classroom conversions during this time, despite an additional practice flat for real-life everyday skills - with more than a third more pupils, the only option in the end was to expand the site, with an alternative option during the construction period.
The rear part of the Karl-Marx-Straße complex, which is now empty, is to be extended with new classrooms and therapy rooms as well as a sanitary wing at a planned cost of 3.4 million euros. Two new external staircases will also be added as escape and rescue routes by the end of 2027. The Salzland district intends to complete this funding measure via the "Schul(frei)räume" programme with the preparation of the outdoor facilities.
In preparation for this, the old Tolstoiallee school building was first extensively refurbished. Using its own budget funds, it is gradually being reactivated as a comfortable alternative location for modern school lessons. Around 970,000 euros have been invested there so far.