# No cuts at the expense of Hamburg’s schoolchildren

**Last updated: 19 October 2026**

## People’s petition: sign now

For the formal Hamburg people’s petition, personal signatures on paper count. The completed original lists must be returned no later than **6 November 2026**. **10,000 valid signatures** are required. People with their main residence in Hamburg can sign. Online support alone does not count as a signature for the formal procedure.

- [Petition form (PDF)](Petition.pdf)
- [GTS statement for the public hearing, 6 October 2026 (German PDF)](Stellungnahme-GTS-06-10-2026.pdf)

## Why we oppose the GTS restructuring

The statement does not regard the planned change as a mere financing adjustment. 87 GTS primary schools and primary departments with around 26,000 children are affected. In the stated GTS all-day allocation, the 220.4 teacher positions in 2025/26 fall to 0 by 2028/29, and the dedicated €7.99 million honorarium allocation also disappears. Among the GTS with a known social index, 48% have social index 1 or 2; among other Hamburg primary schools the figure is 18%. The school inspection rates 96% of the 55 GTS assessed in “Ganztag gestalten” as at least “good”.

Research does not provide a simple causal proof that the GTS organisational form as such produces better learning outcomes. It does, however, provide reasons not to remove structured support, learning time with teachers and additional rather than substituting staff without an impact assessment.

The reported annual saving is €16.5 million. The detailed calculation behind that figure has not been published.

## Other school types are affected as well

The measures differ by school type. For Gymnasium schools, the budget package includes, among other things, higher base class-size parameters and a reduced reserve for cover. The Association of Heads of Hamburg Gymnasium Schools and Teacher Training Seminars published an open letter on 6 October 2026.

- [Open letter from Gymnasium heads, 6 October 2026 (German PDF)](Offener-Brief-Gymnasien-06-10-2026.pdf)
- [List of relevant official “B-Briefe” at the General Staff Council](https://gpr.hamburg.de/liste-relevanter-b-briefe/)

## More information

- [English homepage](en.html)
- [Facts and sources](facts-en.html)
- [Media centre](media-en.html)
- [School support](school-support-en.html)
- [Affected schools CSV](betroffene-schulen.csv)
- [Background paper (German PDF)](Hintergrund-GTS-14-09-2026.pdf)

## Affected schools by district

The full list of affected GTS schools and primary departments is grouped by Hamburg district:

- [Affected GTS schools in Hamburg by district](affected-schools-hamburg.html)