KYIV -- The Sevastopol City Council has voted against partially financing the construction of the first Ukrainian-language school in this Black Sea port, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports.
Of the more than 80 schools in Sevastopol -- which houses both the Ukrainian and the Russian Black Sea fleets -- only three schools are bilingual, where some classes are taught in Ukrainian but the majority in Russian.
There is no school in the city in which classes are only in Ukrainian.
The Ukrainian government supports the establishment of the Ukrainian-language school and has authorized 5 million hryvni (about $1 million) for its construction.
By law, the local government must contribute 20 percent of the costs, or 500,000 hryvni.
The Sevastopol City Council will vote on the issue again in December.