A political dispute has erupted in Ibiza over the opening of a privately run early-years education centre three days before the official start of the 2026-27 school year.

The controversy involves Catiana Fuster, Ibiza Town Hall's councillor for Education, who is also a co-owner of the private nursery at the centre of the dispute.

The PSOE has accused Fuster of benefiting from different rules at her own childcare centre, which opened on Monday, September 7, ahead of the official start of the school year on Thursday, September 10.

Fuster rejects the accusation and says the centre did not begin normal teaching before the official start date. She argues that the three days were part of a previously communicated adaptation and welcoming programme for children and families.

School Year Officially Began on September 10

The Balearic Government's approved school calendar sets September 10, 2026 as the start of the new academic year for pupils in infant education, primary education and other regulated non-university teaching. For the first time, the calendar also places first-cycle infant education, covering ages 0 to 3, within the same school calendar as the rest of the education system.

The date has become central to the political dispute because Fuster's centre began receiving children on September 7.

The PSOE argues that centres subject to the same educational framework should follow the same opening timetable and has demanded an explanation for why this particular centre was able to begin activities three days earlier.

PSOE Accuses Councillor of a Double Standard

Ibiza's Socialist opposition, led on this issue by councillor Carmen Boned, has described the situation as a potential "double standard".

The PSOE says other nurseries and schools remained closed until September 10 in accordance with the instructions they had received, while Fuster's centre opened earlier despite having an educational agreement with the administration.

Boned has called for clarification over whether the same rules were applied to all centres.

The political criticism also focuses on Fuster's dual position as a public official responsible for education policy in Ibiza and a co-owner of the private centre involved in the controversy.

The PSOE has argued that families and education professionals need certainty about the rules governing the opening of publicly supported early-years centres.

Fuster Says the Centre Has a Different Legal Framework

Fuster has disputed the PSOE's interpretation of the situation.

She says the centre is a private early-years education establishment operating under a "singular agreement" with the administration. According to her explanation, that legal framework does not necessarily require the centre to mirror every aspect of the timetable used by the public education network.

Fuster also argues that what took place between September 7 and September 10 should not be considered the start of regular teaching.

Instead, she describes the activities as an adaptation and welcoming programme designed to help young children gradually become accustomed to the centre before the official beginning of lessons.

She said the programme had previously been communicated to the regional education authorities and stressed that it was designed by the centre's pedagogical management rather than by her personally.

No Additional Payment Was Charged to Families

Another point raised by Fuster concerns payments.

The councillor said families were not charged any additional amount for the three-day period and that the centre operates under the free early-years education system.

She therefore rejects any suggestion that the earlier opening generated an additional commercial benefit from families.

Fuster has also argued that private nurseries on the island have historically operated with greater flexibility around opening arrangements than public schools, particularly in relation to the gradual incorporation of young children.

That interpretation is now being examined in the context of the new 2026-27 education calendar, which formally includes the first cycle of infant education within the common school timetable.

Education Inspection Has Visited Centres

The controversy has also reached the regional education authorities.

Fuster said that the Education Department sent inspectors to examine centres that had opened before September 10.

The inspections are relevant because the issue is ultimately not only political but administrative: the authorities must determine whether the activities carried out before the official start date were permitted under the applicable rules and the specific conditions governing each centre.

At present, the available information does not establish that Fuster's centre committed an infringement.

The political dispute therefore remains centred on competing interpretations of the rules and on whether all centres were treated consistently.

Adaptation Programmes Are Common in Early Education

Gradual adaptation programmes are widely used in early-childhood education because younger children can require time to become familiar with new surroundings, educators and routines.

Such programmes can include shorter visits, staggered attendance, meetings with parents and gradual increases in the amount of time children spend at the centre.

The existence of an adaptation period is therefore not, in itself, unusual.

The issue in Ibiza is specifically whether this particular adaptation programme could legally take place before September 10 under the rules applicable to the centre.

That distinction is important because the political accusations concern the timing and legal status of the activity, rather than the educational concept of helping children adapt.

Fuster Says She Will Follow the Calendar Next Year

Fuster has also acknowledged that the centre will change its approach for the next academic year.

She said the regional Education Department will ask the centre to follow the official calendar and that it will do so.

The statement suggests that, regardless of how the authorities assess the 2026 arrangement, the centre does not intend to repeat the same opening model next year.

Fuster has also said that the centre remains available to the Education Department and Education Inspection Service to clarify any questions and make any adjustments considered necessary.

Political Dispute Comes as Ibiza Begins a New School Year

The controversy comes just as schools across Ibiza and the Balearic Islands begin the 2026-27 academic year.

The regional government said the new school year would begin with 158,859 students and 19,003 education professionals in public and publicly funded schools across the islands. It has also highlighted the expansion of 0 to 3-year-old places and the continued development of early-years education services.

Against that backdrop, the dispute over the Ibiza nursery is likely to attract particular attention because it involves not only a question of school calendars but also the role of a serving councillor who has a private interest in the education sector.

What Happens Next

The immediate question is whether the Education Department considers the three-day adaptation programme to have complied with the rules governing the centre.

The authorities' assessment could determine whether the matter remains a political disagreement or develops into an administrative issue requiring further action.

For the PSOE, the central concern remains equal treatment between centres and the appearance of a conflict between Fuster's public responsibilities and her role as a private nursery owner.

For Fuster, the three days before September 10 were an adaptation period under the centre's particular arrangement, not an early start to the normal school year.

With the 2026-27 school year now officially underway, attention will turn to the outcome of the education authorities' review and whether any formal conclusions are issued regarding the centre's opening arrangements.