The decision is now final: Xàbia's sixth school, which will be temporarily housed in prefabricated units, will be situated on the Freginal plot. This move halts the planned new sports pavilion on the same site for at least the next five years.
The PSOE made a last-ditch effort in Friday's council meeting to prevent this outcome. They proposed redirecting the 1.2 million euro budget, intended by the local government for site preparation at Freginal, towards acquiring a new plot elsewhere in the municipality for the prefabricated units. The aim was to save the sports pavilion.
However, the socialist amendment was rejected. The opposing votes from the PP and Ciudadanos por Jávea (CpJ), the two governing parties, coupled with Compromís's abstention, allowed the mayor, Rosa Cardona (PP), to defeat the proposal with her casting vote. Only Vox supported the PSOE's initiative.
Socialist spokesperson José Chulvi defended the amendment, arguing that there was still time to find an alternative location for the provisional school, thus resolving Xàbia's educational crisis without depriving sports clubs of much-needed facilities that were ready for tender.
Vox councilor José Marcos Pons deemed it a "waste" to spend 1.2 million euros preparing land for a temporary school, warning that the total investment could reach 2.2 million considering the 1 million euro subsidy from the provincial council for the pavilion, which might now be lost.
Mayor Rosa Cardona countered that the socialist proposal would further delay the school's construction and denied the 1.2 million was a waste, as the preparation work would benefit a future sports area. She also expressed confidence that the provincial council would maintain the pavilion subsidy, despite her doubts about the economic viability of the 8.2 million euro project.
The governing team argued that the approved budget modification includes other projects totaling 4.6 million euros, such as housing rental aid, a consumption voucher, an eight-a-side football pitch, replacement of the current Miguel Buhigues sports pavilion flooring, and climate-controlled areas, demonstrating a focus on education, sports, and housing.
Chulvi criticized many of these investments as "empty promises" and questioned the timeline for the eight-a-side football pitch. He also refuted the pavilion's inviability, noting its cost could be spread over semi-annual payments until 2029, according to a schedule drafted by the current administration.
Education councilor Mavi Pérez (CpJ) accused the PSOE of only supporting public education for students "from outside Xàbia." Chulvi responded angrily, denying the accusation and framing the debate as a choice between improvisation and planning.
Compromís councilor Carme Català stated that while not the ideal solution, the prefabricated school is "the most feasible option in these times," clarifying she is not part of the local government. Her vote and abstention have been crucial for the executive since it became a minority.
