The significance of a local community and local government in the education system conceptions, as conceived of by the selected Polish liberal parties

The aim of this paper is to analyze the vision of the Polish education system outlined by selected liberal parties in Poland in 1989–2019, focusing on the role played by local communities and local authorities. The text analyzes election programs of main liberal parties as well as speeches of prominent politicians. The qualitative analysis of relevant content revealed that Polish liberals clearly specified in their programs the importance of a local government (as a body that makes decisions which to a large extent pertain to school), parents and the entire local community (as an entity that actively co-participates in school’s life, and has influence on key decisions). The proposed school system was institutionally grounded in a local government and simultaneously acted as a cultural center as well as a place where a local community can spend their leisure time. To this aim, changes were postulated in three key areas: “municipalization” of the school institution, schools forming stronger ties to the local community, and modification of education funding system.