Kita St. Martin in Braunenweiler is struggling with massive space problems!

Kita St. Martin in Braunenweiler is struggling with massive space problems!

On June 6, 2025, a controversial meeting of the local council in Bad Saulgau took place, at which the future of the St. Martin kindergarten in Braunenweiler was the focus. Mayor Raphael Osmakoswi-Miller was the only one who raised his hand during the vote for a possible solution to the space problem. The kindergarten, which houses three groups, currently has non-admission options for five children from February 2026, including three siblings. This is happening in a period in which the number is for the first time lower than the required places for the 2025/26 kindergarten year. The facility replaces previous kindergartens in Braunenweiler, Bondorf and Renhardsweiler and is also attended by children from Hochberg, Lampertsweiler, Bierstetten and Steinbronnen. According to Schwäbische.de, the situation will remain tense until September 2026.

At the meeting, a warning was issued by Birgit Luib from the city administration that the future situation was uncertain. The capacity problem explicitly affects the period between February and September 2026. The local councilors discussed two possible solutions: Firstly, the possibility of setting up a temporary group in the multi-purpose room of the kindergarten, which would, however, result in a ten-month breakdown of a specialist and would have an estimated cost of around 35,000 euros. This proposal received no support.

Catchment area for the kindergarten

The second approach involved defining a catchment area that would give priority to children from Renhardsweiler, Braunenweiler, Steinbronnen and Bierstetten. Children from other districts should only be taken into account if places are available. This proposal was also rejected by the majority, apart from the mayor's vote. In an earlier meeting in the Bondorf village community center, which was aimed at the current challenges in the city's budget, the existing deficit was discussed and the possible investment volume for 2025, estimated at 24 million euros, was discussed. However, the problem remains unsolved for the St. Martin kindergarten, as the proposals for defining the catchment area and for short-term relief were not approved, as Bad Saulgau also states.

The uncertainty about the availability of space is particularly noticeable when one considers that 18 preschool children will leave the facility as early as September 2026, which means that the situation is expected to improve from the 2026/27 kindergarten year. However, the challenge of meeting the needs of families in the region remains and the problem of insufficient places will remain a focus of the city administration.