327 million euros in five years: the City of Lyon has made education the priority of its mandate
On Tuesday, June 17, the City of Lyon unveiled the Joliot Curie school complex, which has benefited from significant investment in its renovation. This is a " concrete example " of what the municipality has implemented for education, one of its largest expenditures since the beginning of the mandate.
It was with a smile on his face that Grégory Doucet welcomed the press on Tuesday, June 17, at the newly renovated Joliot Curie school in the 5th arrondissement of Lyon. In the brand-new courtyard of this school complex, the mayor of Lyon presented the various actions carried out since 2020 by his municipality to " build a fairer, more sustainable, and forward-looking public school ."
" Our schools must be designed and built so that everyone can flourish and grow there, " begins the ecologist mayor before starting the tour. " The City of Lyon has never invested so much in its schools, " he continues, recalling the investment of 327 million euros since 2020 and its ambition to make schools " a pillar of its policy ." " This flagship project in our district perfectly illustrates the greening effort undertaken in our establishments, " adds Nadine Georgel, mayor of the 5th arrondissement, present this Tuesday alongside the mayor of Lyon.
" Since the beginning of the mandate, at least one in two schools has benefited from renovations, " explains Sylvain Godinot, deputy mayor responsible for ecological transition and heritage. Six new school complexes have been built since 2020 and four completely rebuilt. Nine schools have undergone energy renovations, and a total of 20 projects have received a budget exceeding €3 million. These investments represent nearly a quarter of the city's multi-year investment plan (PPI).
The Joliot Curie school group, which accommodates 300 students from kindergarten to primary school, has been completely redesigned, " from an ecological, functional and educational perspective, " explains Grégory Doucet. Building insulation, air circulation, refurbishment of classrooms and the gymnasium, new layout of the playground into a nature playground... All these improvements should allow young students and all teaching staff to better cope with the heat waves, which are becoming increasingly frequent in June and September in the Lyon region.
The complete renovation of the school cost the municipality 4 million euros for work carried out on an occupied site " with constant dialogue between the City, teachers, families and extracurricular teams ."
During this visit, Stéphanie Léger, Deputy Mayor of Lyon responsible for Education, presented the " Lyon Schools Framework ," a collaboratively developed document that should serve as a " standard program " for schools in Lyon in the context of new construction or renovation. This framework will serve as a resource document for the educational community and should help detail concrete needs and recommendations for upcoming projects in Lyon.
Fourteen schools are or will soon be affected by renovations, costing more than 70 million euros. " But our work is not finished, " continues Grégory Doucet, referring to the 2026 municipal elections, for which the current mayor of Lyon has already applied. Before concluding: " We want all the children of Lyon to be able to benefit from the best, but I am already happy to see here, in the 5th arrondissement, that in 5 years, our progress has led us to beautiful schools like Joliot Curie ."
Lyon Capitale
