Kerry L' Moyer, Ph'D'

1
Clarion Area School
District and
Clarion-Limestone Area
School District May 27, 2009
Kerry L. Moyer, Ph.D. Director of Research
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Introduction to School District Options in
Pennsylvania for Consolidation
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Tonights Objective

• To help you think it through and to know the
  options

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The Push and the Push Back
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The Two Pillars of District Consolidation

• Expanded student opportunities
• Cost savings or cost avoidance

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The Three Types of Consolidation

• Functional Consolidation
• (status quo with separate boards,
  administrations, tax base, but shared services)
• Merger
• Physical Consolidation
• (new district, new board, one tax base)

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First and Foremost, School District Consolidation
is About the Students and Their Future
Schoolhouses are the republican line of
fortifications. Horace Mann
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Impact Upon Students

• Description of Student Body
• Changing Student Expectations
• Instructional Support
• Providing Opportunities

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Impact on Instruction

• Standards and Mandates
• Course Alignment and Offerings
• Planning
• On-going Curriculum Development
• Grade Configurations

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Preserving What is Good

• I had a monumental idea this morning but I
  didnt like it.
• 
  Samuel Goldwyn

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Preserving What is Good.

• Sense of Community
• Strong instructional programs
• Small class sizes
• Competent, experienced faculty

• Range of academic course offerings
• Strong governance
• Community involvement
• Schools as regional hubs

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Pennsylvania Schools of the FutureThe Challenge

• Difficult to link schools to the future when they
  are so much a part of our past
• Most individuals remember schools as they were,
  not as they could be or need to be (it was good
  enough for us)
• As their children leave school, so does the
  taxpayer connection to the schools

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Class Picture, 1920Nostalgia isnt what it used
to be.
Mark Twain
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But, must look to the future.

• This is not your fathers Oldsmobile.
• Marketing Slogan by Oldsmobile
• (now defunct turns out it was)

• It is less painful to learn in youth than to be
  ignorant in age.
• Emerson

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Schools of the 21st Century

• Facilities Are Integrated with Curriculum and
  Community
• Every School Activity Becomes More Interactive
• Education Targets Individual Learning Styles

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Schools of the 21st Century (Cont.)

• Focus on Wellness and Physical Education
• Borders Continue to Lose Their Meaning
• Public Schools Operate in a Competitive
  Environment

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Possible Impact of Consolidation Upon Current
Educational Programs

• Differences by
• Schedules
• Elementary Programs
• Middle School Programs
• High School Programs
• Graduation Requirements
• Special Education
• Student Clubs, Activities, Athletics

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Lets Talk about Athletics and Other Student
Activities
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The One District vs. Two Debate

• Perceived Advantages

• Perceived Disadvantages

• Larger organizations can expand musical
  repertoire, marching bands, color guard, play
  casting, debate teams.
• Going two to one can provide more competitive
  teams
• Number of student organizations can increase
• Depth and breadth of existing organizations are
  expanded

• Only one vs. two valedictorians, spring musicals,
  football and other varsity teams.
• Fewer participants than in two existing, sports
  teams, competitive groups
• Increased competition to participate in groups or
  teams will reduce the number of students who can
  participant

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Impact on Governance

• Administrative Structures
• Staffing
• Collective Bargaining Agreements
• Educational Partnerships
• Strategic Planning

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Impact Upon Facilities
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Facilities Considerations

• Assess Condition of Existing Facilities
• Explore Options for Sharing Facilities to Support
  Mutual Educational Objectives
• Provide Cost Estimates for Options

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Will the Need for Facilities Be the Tipping
Point?

• State-of-the art should not be the goal
• Future Proofing can help develop planning
  (average is 50 years)
• Facility design should follow academic goals and
  community needs

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The Region and Its Characteristics
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The Community

• Basically, a college town
• Boroughs and townships
• Geography traits
• Economic traits

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Some Basic Demographics

• Student Enrollment
• Size of School District
• Financials and Tax Base

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The Feasibility Study

• Generally, the next step
• Allows decisions to be made with evidence
• Defines viable options
• Useful no matter what the final decision

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The Value of the Feasibility Study
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When is Consolidation Feasible

• When there is probability of success
• When there are no winners and losers by
  district or community
• When existing academic programs are not
  negatively affected
• When there are no remaining options for
  preserving existing programs

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Consolidation As Preservation
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What Would a Consolidated School District Look
Like?

• A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not
  what ships are built for.
• J. A. Shedd

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Characteristics of a Consolidated School District

• Basic Demographics
• Comparisons among the Existing School Districts
• Enrollment Projections
• Community Projections

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The Consolidation Process

• School Board Responsibilities
• The Department of Education
• The State Board
• Resolutions and Reports

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The Options for School Districts
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How Districts Consolidate
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Consolidation Process, continued
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Foremost Challenges

• Equalizing millage across communities
• Re-negotiating current collective bargaining
  agreements
• Addressing debt service
• Uniformity Clause (might bring needed action by
  municipalities)

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Short-Term Challenges

• Consolidation of curriculum
• Re-structuring administration
• Selecting grade configurations
• Assuming up-front costs
• Planning for facilities that best support the
  long-term instructional program

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Primary Opportunities for a District Consolidation

• More diverse instructional content
• Increased attention to exceptional students of
  all types
• Takes advantage of common characteristics of both
  existing districts
• Combines the best of each district
• Long-term cost savings/avoidance for building
  renovation or new construction

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Summary of Advantages

• Expanded student opportunities
• Potential long-term savings related to building
  renovation and shared construction
• Lower administrative costs
• Best of both instructional programs
• Ability to plan own destiny
• Shared service costs

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Questions
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Please, Ask Yourself

• What is this person trying to teach me?