Turmoil surrounding the establishment of the High School for Arts and Sciences in Tirat Carmel – the cost was doubled and the opening was postponed by four years

The project to build the High School for Arts and Sciences, which was supposed to open in 2023, has become one of the city’s most significant infrastructure and education crises. Tirat Carmel Mayor Dudu Cohen revealed that the cost of building the institution, which includes 36 classrooms, has soared from about NIS 69 million in the original tender in 2021 to about NIS 150 million today, while the project has suffered a delay of about four years. He said he intends to examine the failures that led to the situation, while continuing to advance the work to enable the school to open in 2027.

Four years of delay and a doubled cost

According to Mayor Dudu Cohen, the planning process for the School of Arts and Sciences began in 2016, and it was supposed to accept students for the first time in 2023. However, in practice, the work was delayed over the years, and the estimated cost of the project soared by tens of millions of shekels.

"This reality makes me very angry," said the mayor. "It makes me angry that children are waiting years for a school that was supposed to open long ago, and it makes me angry that tens of millions of additional shekels of public money are now needed to complete its construction."

Checking for failures while continuing construction

The mayor made it clear that he intends to examine in depth the sequence of events and the responsibility for the delays and the increase in the cost of the exception, but emphasized that the examination process will not stop the continued advancement of the project.

"I am determined to clarify the failures over the years and the responsibility for them, but I will not let clarifying the past stop building the future," he said.

According to the updated target, the School of Arts and Sciences is expected to open in September 2027, after its construction has resumed.

118 classrooms in five schools

In parallel with the unveiling of the project data, the mayor presented the municipal construction plan in the field of education, which includes five new educational institutions with 118 classrooms.

Among the main projects:

• An elementary school in the Galei Carmel neighborhood, currently serving as a temporary home for an arts and sciences high school.
• The Ephraim Tzemach Elementary School in the Nof Yam neighborhood, which was populated in 2026.
• Ariel High School in the Nof Yam neighborhood, expected to open in 2027.
• The Yuval School for Special Education, scheduled to open in 2028.
• The High School for Arts and Sciences, expected to open in 2027.

The council will discuss increasing the budget.

This evening (Wednesday, November 11, 2026), the City Council is expected to discuss approving budget additions to complete three of the five educational institutions currently under construction, totaling approximately 103 million shekels.

According to the data presented, approximately 80 million shekels of the amount is expected to come through development loans, a move that will require the approval of council members.

The mayor emphasized that this is public money and that residents deserve to receive a full picture of the circumstances of the delays, the costs, and the steps being taken to complete the projects.

"You can't postpone the future of children"

Alongside the criticism of past conduct, the mayor sought to convey a message of looking forward.

"We can't get back the years that were lost, but we can change the future," he said. "We can postpone projects, we can postpone decisions, but we can't postpone the future of our children."