On Tuesday, Raudsepp said the school at Karjamaa 18 cost the city €14 million but has only 16 students and 11 teachers.

The mayor said the school's founder private entrepreneur and Social Democrat Rasmus Rask and former SDE mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski initiated the municipalization of the institution, which changed its status from private to public.

"The plan was for the building to accommodate around 400 Avatud Kool students plus up to 270 additional students," Raudsepp said.

"But it turned out that Avatud Kool wasn't so 'open' after all — other students were not welcome in the school building, and the school continued to operate as a private institution," he added.

Raudsepp explained how the total cost reached €14 million: "The city purchased a new school building for Tallinn Avatud Kool for €3.6 million, carried out initial renovations, and more renovations are needed this year. The cost of the school building purchased after much fuss, plus the renovations already completed and those still required, adds up to nearly €14 million — double the original amount," he wrote on social media.

"This is an ugly situation. I feel sorry for the students, teachers, parents, and also the taxpayers of Tallinn, because this situation is not fair to anyone. The issue is not with the people involved or their dedication, but with political decisions that have created a disproportionate cost structure," Raudsepp said.

The mayor now plans to instruct the city's internal audit department to investigate the situation.

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