Luunja opposition seeks mayor’s ouster after school principal’s dismissal

Luunja’s opposition has begun seeking a vote of no confidence in the mayor over the abrupt dismissal of the principal of Luunja Secondary School, ERR reported. Mayor Annika Pajumaa-Murov called the move political and, in some respects, spiteful.

Ave Kikas, who led the school of nearly 500 students for about a year, had her last day in office several days ago. She now plans to take the matter to the labour dispute committee.

“Late in the evening, I found a notice terminating my employment in my mailbox because of a lack of trust. I was pressured to leave, and when I did not agree to leave by mutual consent, my contract was terminated unilaterally,” Kikas said.

Kikas said the municipality had issued no warnings or instructions concerning her work during the year and that the reasons for her dismissal had therefore been invented. She said tensions may have been caused by a disagreement over the start of the school day. The school had prepared to begin classes at 9 a.m., while a council decision says lessons should start at 8:15 a.m.

“There was no political background and the start of the school day was certainly not the reason. Ave knows the substance of the matter best herself. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on it because it concerns an employment relationship, and such relationships cannot be discussed in this way,” Pajumaa-Murov said.

The principal’s departure has also unsettled some families whose children are due to return to school in Luunja in two weeks.

“It is the middle of August, and there is no school principal or education adviser. We do not know which teachers are in place, or whether the school day will begin at 8:15, as decided by the council, or at 9, as proposed by the board of trustees. All these questions remain unanswered for me as a parent,” said Pirjo Pall, a member of the Luunja council.

Pajumaa-Murov said a competition to find a new principal had been launched and that all the concerns would be resolved by September 1.

The dismissal has also angered Luunja Hooandjad, the only opposition electoral list in Luunja municipality. Kaire Vahejõe, a representative of the list, said it was dissatisfied with the mayor’s management and communication style and therefore wanted to seek a no-confidence vote.

“The situation today is that essentially nine senior specialists have been forced out of Luunja municipality. A great many problems have accumulated over a long period, stemming from management issues involving personnel matters, public communication and cooperation with different parties. We put eight pages of these problems into the no-confidence motion,” Vahejõe said.

The mayor rejected the criticism, calling the no-confidence motion a political action.

“Some of the elements highlighted there are absolutely not true. I can refute them at the council meeting. Perhaps it seems somewhat spiteful because the opposition has asked these same questions through formal inquiries and received answers, but apparently the answers were not sufficient,” Pajumaa-Murov said.