EdVANTAGE Blog

My alma mater — the University at Buffalo — has produced a thoughtful report examining options for school district reorganization in Western New York.

The report carefully reviews the history of district consolidation in Western New York and past research on the effects of consolidations.  It also examines a neglected aspect of consolidation — the opportunity to promote equity in resources by merging districts of varying wealth.  In Western New York, the study finds, state aid already largely offsets variations in local wealth.

The author concludes, “that only districts with small enrollments are likely to accrue substantial cost savings from district mergers,”  and adds “For larger districts, those with more than 2,000 students, for example, efficiency gains are often much smaller and are sometimes nullified by the costs of merging.”

While acknowledging potential financial and educational benefits from merging small districts, the report does not suggest new mechanisms to encourage more actual district consolidation.

As next steps, it recommends:

1. “Unleash BOCES,” arguing that their “promise as a mechanism for educational excellence and costs savings is constrained by narrow thinking and outdated provisions in state law and policy;”
2. Convene committees of educators, board members, parents, and other local leaders in each BOCES region to explore local restructuring options, as recommended by recent state commissions; and
3. Make increased use of distance learning and other instructional and operational technology that can diminish the importance of physical proximity while achieving efficiencies and expanding opportunities.

We made similar recommendations toward the end of our testimony to the Commission on Property Tax Relief.

I’ve been impressed by the energy already being expended around the state exploring regionalism options, and the willingness of many superintendents to support actual district consolidation.

In many cases, the impetus seems less directly financial than demographic — a recognition that with plunging enrollments, consolidation — either functional or total — offer the best hope for some communities to maintain viable school systems, especially at the high school level.  The UB report does not examine the implications of continuing enrollment declines, however.