"An important hurdle has now been overcome," says Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel, recalling the previous history, "We had hoped for an accelerated procedure for good reason, but after all discussions at working level initially remained unsuccessful and there was no binding statement as to when approval could be expected, I turned to our former Minister of Construction and current Minister President Olaf Lies and gained further supporters. In particular, I would like to thank State Secretary Matthias Wunderling-Weilbier and the responsible employees in his ministry, who, after many discussions and the initiative of the Managing Director of the Lower Saxony Association of Cities and Towns Dr. Jan Arning (NST) as well as the State Commissioner Dr. Ulrike Witt and our Member of Parliament Stefan Klein, made it possible to obtain approval in August through internal reorganization."

Klingebiel concludes: "From a formal legal point of view, there is now nothing to prevent the Wiesenschule from opening. However, due to the school organizational measures that can now logically only be carried out - in particular the complete initial equipping of the new building and relocation from the old buildings - and a currently identified construction defect, the new school building will not be able to go into operation at the beginning of the 2025/2026 school year. I would ask the parents, teaching staff and pupils for their understanding in this regard."

Head of Schools Dr. Dirk Härdrich explains: "A complete move from the Altstadtschule and the premises of the old Wiesenschule to the new Wiesenschule and a complete initial fit-out of the new building with furniture and kitchen is impossible five days after receiving approval before the start of school. Everyone involved - the state, city, teaching staff and parent representatives - was aware of this. In this respect, we have been working together for some time to secure interim operations in the old buildings for the start of the 2025/2026 school year."

Head of Building Michael Tacke explains: "Another unplannable obstacle is the structural defect that has recently been identified. The columns in the canteen of the new building were constructed incorrectly by the company carrying out the work. The subcontractor used by the general contractor executed the columns in the canteen incorrectly. Botched up construction work for which neither the city nor the state is responsible, but which has led to a further more than annoying delay. The general contractor and its insurance company are currently coordinating a renovation concept. As things stand today, we assume that lessons can start in the new Wiesenschule after the school vacations at the end of January 2026. In any case, we will do everything we can to ensure that the construction companies responsible rectify the construction defect as quickly as possible."