The Kindergarten of Pontes de Monfalim opened its doors on Monday, September 14, at the start of the new school year, but closed before lunchtime, after the decision of the Agency for the Management of the Educational System (AGSE) became known, which authorized the extinction of the establishment with retroactive effects to August 31. The situation prompted strong criticism from the opposition in Sobral de Monte Agraço.
PS councilor Fátima Estêvão confirmed that the kindergarten operated during the morning and that the director closed it before lunch. The PS had raised the issue in June, at a council meeting, after the Municipal Education Council issued an unfavorable opinion on the maintenance of the establishment. The socialists questioned the foundations of the decision, the information provided to elected officials, and the absence of the Parish Council of Santo Quintino from the process.
Fátima Estêvão also raised doubts about the management of enrollments, stating that conditional students were redirected to Pêro Negro, leaving vacancies available in Sobral de Monte Agraço. The councilor considers that this management created conditions that favored the closure of Pontes de Monfalim, accusing the executive of creating an "architecture" to justify the shutdown. The PS argues that extended hours should have been created to give families better choices.
The CDU also criticized the preparation of the school year, focusing mainly on the Family Support Component. The coalition states it had warned in June about problems that could arise at the start of activities, questioning the lack of vacancies in the CAF, the available human resources, and the admission criteria. The Municipal Council states that it only learned of the AGSE decision on September 14, communicated on the eve of the start of the school year, considering the communication "late and generating constraints". The six children affected will be integrated into existing classes at the Basic School of Sobral de Monte Agraço and Santo Quintino.
