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The Forum:

Consolidation is not the answer

To the Editor on Nov. 17:

I would like to weigh in on the school consolidation debate going on. I decided, after reading about what is going on, to do some good old-fashioned research on consolidation and school size. I read around 30 articles and reports about these two subjects. I ended up writing an article that is about 10 pages, obviously too long to submit here in its entirety, so I will provide a summary. Everything included in this summary is based on real published research and I am more than willing to provide resources to those who would like them.

Over the past 20 years, spanning from north to south and east to west, schools have been trying to cut costs by combining or merging smaller school districts. Costs were examined pre and post consolidation. In pretty much every case, no substantial cost savings were reported; in some cases, costs actually increased. Communities were led to believe that their taxes would be lowered and their children would receive a more extensive education. This did not happen and many districts now regret falling for the propaganda fed to them by the administrators and politicians who cared more about potential costs than the well-being of students and communities. The higher costs of transporting students, maintenance and operation and security stripped away what little schools saved on lower administration costs. Not to mention that many districts needed to build or renovate facilities to accommodate the change in size and make-up of the student body.

The fact is that no sustainable actual cost savings were obtained in any of the consolidations and there were social and academic impacts that were devastating to the students, staff and communities of most of these districts. Some examples:

* Children were subjected to longer bus rides, leading to them being more tired, having more negative attitudes and ultimately learning less, as well as having less time to spend with family.
* There was an increase in violence and behavior issues. Kids felt less connected and invested, causing resentment and a feeling of isolation. Kids in bigger schools are more likely to fall in the cracks and not be noticed until there is a real problem. Kids in high schools of 750 students are 8 times more likely to be involved in violence than those enrolled in a school with 350 students
* Test grades and academic achievement are lower in bigger schools, particularly those that are consolidated. Students get less attention. Smaller schools, those with high schools with 200 students or less or a maximum of 75 students per grade, are proven to graduate more students who then go on to college and have successful careers. These students are highly sought after by colleges for their proven academic success, high test scores and active participation in sports and their community.
* Student participation in activities dramatically decreases in larger and consolidated schools. There are fewer opportunities. OM students participate at a high number now; many of these students go on to find success in college. They will not have these chances if we consolidate, not most of them.
* Smaller schools can provide the core curriculum necessary for college readiness, though they do offer fewer electives. These specialized elective classes only benefit a select small group of students, only 8-12% of the student body, and most colleges are not concerned with these electives. Colleges are more interested in high grades in core classes such as English and Math.
* Teachers have more stress in consolidated schools, are less connected to their students and suffer more disruptive behavior causing less actual instruction time
* Communities suffer from consolidation, particularly those districts where a school closes. Housing values decrease, community involvement deteriorates and loss of identity occurs. Population can decline to the point of abandonment.

This is just a small part of the negative impact school consolidation has on the actual people involved. Those who still have children in school should seriously consider how this could affect their children’s future. People in the community should consider how consolidation would affect their way of life, especially when there is no proven, research-based evidence to suggest that consolidation will help anyone. Research actually shows the opposite -- that it kills communities, takes away students' identity and success and never actually provides any savings for the schools or taxpayers. I think people should also know that NYS requires that consolidation must be voted on by the communities and that both must agree before it can even be considered. So the boards can talk all they want, but no one can do anything unless we let it happen. There is much more in depth information in my full article and on the web for those who want to know the whole story on school consolidation. Please be informed before you believe the rhetoric you read. There is no basis or evidence to support there are any benefits to consolidating schools -- just speculation, and I am not willing to bet my children’s future on hopefully and maybe.

As a note, I do want to say I do support the sharing of agreed-upon services, particularly those that can benefit both schools. For example, can we find ways to deal with state-mandated programs like special education so that schools can share the costs of these required programs? I just do not think we will see any progress with this as long as some are saying the only thing we can do is consolidate.

As for sports, I think as long as we are happy with the costs and success of our athletes, we should be allowed to continue on as we find appropriate, without criticism from those who do not have children involved in these activities, so that more OM students can continue to participate and have the opportunities that come from participating.

Christy Rumsey, MSN, RN