How and who will use the fully adapted auditorium at the "Danilo Kiš" Secondary Mixed School is the reason for disagreement, but also harsh communication between the Municipality and that school institution.
What could be read on social media a few weeks ago, starting from the fact that the Municipality representatives did not attend the High School Day, to the fact that the principal of that school Krsto Vuković was not invited to the reception, which was recently hosted by the Mayor of the Municipality Nikola Jovanovic organized in the assembly hall for members of the School Sports Association "Fair Play" SMŠ "Danilo Kiš", who qualified for the European School Volleyball Championship, and for whom the Municipality provided money to travel, culminated in the assembly session.
The Municipality of Budva financed the adaptation of the amphitheater at the "Danilo Kiš" Secondary School with 400 thousand, and sent an agreement to the School Board to use that space for organizing events of cultural institutions, until the construction of the Cultural Center.
The school board accepted the agreement in principle, except for the indefinite duration of the contract, as well as the transfer without compensation, with a clear stance that the school is open to holding all cultural events, which are widely held in that space.
Mayor Nikola Jovanović said that the Municipality of Budva is a serious institution "unlike individuals who do their job frivolously and behave that way."
"The Municipality will always act where state bodies fail. What will be the practice from now on, and I firmly promise this, is that the Municipality will not invest a single cent in a state institution without first defining two important things. The first is the way in which these funds will be spent, and the second is the way in which they will be used. You know what is happening to us and what situation we are in, equipping the entire amphitheater of the 'Danilo Kiš' Secondary Mixed School, and do you know what the Municipality gets out of it? I don't mean what the president, secretaries and employees of the Municipality get out of it, but what the citizens get out of it. Nothing," Jovanović pointed out.
He also referred to the Municipality's investment in the construction of a large parking lot near the "Stefan Mitrov Ljubiša" Elementary School.
"Believe it or not, the management of that school tried to give that parking space built with the Municipality's money to a third party to keep privately. I ask, is that normal, that the Municipality invests significant funds, and cannot use it. We will stop these practices. That money will have to be justified, and those assets that the Municipality builds or reconstructs will have to be used for public purposes, not private. We are not building a parking lot for a third party to use and make a business out of it, or for the management of the elementary school to put down a ramp there and not allow parking, in order to sell monthly passes," Jovanović emphasized at the assembly session.
The Secretary for Investments followed up on this Joko Popovic who said that by adapting the amphitheater at the "Danilo Kiš" Secondary School, the Municipality has created the conditions for the realization of a winter cultural scene in Budva.
"We sent the School Board an agreement for the use of the amphitheater, but the director was not willing to sign a contract so that the Municipality, or rather cultural institutions, the City Theatre, the National Library and Museums and Galleries could use it. We invested 401 thousand euros for the adaptation of the amphitheater, but there was no understanding from the head of the Secondary School. The agreement stipulated that the amphitheater would be used until the Cultural Center was built. I believe that the School Board did not even see that agreement, we received a response from the director that the School Board did not agree with it and that he was requesting compensation from the Municipality for the use of that space," said Popović.
The director of the "Danilo Kiš" Secondary School, Krsto Vuković, reacted to the accusations made at the parliamentary session, stating that the allegations were completely untrue.
He published the School Board's response, but also demanded that he be allowed to attend the next assembly session to respond to the accusations that were made.
"The draft agreement on the transfer of the use of the amphitheater that you sent to the school was processed at the meeting of the School Board, which agreed in principle with the text, except for the part of the indefinite duration, as well as the transfer without compensation and bringing it into correlation with the donation made by the Municipality to our institution in the previous period. We hereby take this opportunity to inform you that the school is in the process of drafting a Rulebook that will define the conditions for the use of the school amphitheater for all interested parties, which will be submitted to you upon adoption for the purpose of possible cooperation between the local government and the school in the future to mutual satisfaction," reads the letter published by Vuković, which the School Board submitted to Secretary Popović in early February.
Vuković: I have a lot to talk about, it will be interesting
Vuković told Popović, by publishing the document, that it was not true that he, as the director, was blocking the agreement and that he had not submitted it to the School Board.
"Feel free to continue, Mr. Popović, I have a lot to say about the amphitheater, it will be interesting," Vuković announced.
He stated that he had submitted a request to attend the next session of the Budva Municipal Council.
"I believe that there will be an opportunity to justify public gossip. I trust in the regulations under which I have the right to participate, and of course, I do not doubt the democratic capacities of the president of the Municipal Assembly and other officials and employees of the Municipality of Budva," Vuković emphasized.
Otherwise, the School Board is of the opinion that the National Library can use the amphitheater without any charge, and that this space is used for cultural purposes is confirmed by the fact that the Grad Teatar play will be held there in May.
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