"Custom tools and research to aid a school district in defining a vision and decision options for serving students in the future."
September 22, 2013
The school merger movement on Long Island has been marked by many more failures than successes. The last consolidation -- of the Eastport and South Manor districts -- was completed in 2003. Now comes a proposal to merge two East End systems, Southampton and Tuckahoe, that highlights the many benefits of combining resources with your neighbor.
The plan is good news for residents in both districts, who would see significant budget savings, as well as more and improved class and extracurricular offerings. They would be wise to approve it in voting later this fall. The proposal also is food for thought for other districts where financial struggles are making it more difficult to strengthen educational programs and better prepare students for more rigorous state testing.
Merging certainly is not for everyone. In many ways, Southampton and Tuckahoe are an ideal pairing. Their demographics are similar, no new building or major renovation would be needed, the tax implications are promising, and many of the districts' students know each other from outside sports, scouts and the local youth center. And Tuckahoe, whose one school building educates students from pre-K to eighth grade, already sends most of its high schoolers to Southampton. But paying that tuition bill was becoming too expensive for Tuckahoe. Sending them to a different district with cheaper tuition would have been too big of a budget hit for Southampton. The state tax cap makes it difficult for each district to raise taxes enough to solve its problems.
A feasibility study released this summer estimates a budget for the combined district of $71.5 million, $9 million less than the combined budgets of the two districts this year. That's a significant savings.
There are educational benefits, too, that other districts should note, including the opportunity to combine best educational practices to improve instruction. Officials also are excited about the possibility of turning the Tuckahoe School into an early learning center for pre-K, kindergarten and first grade. With research stressing the importance of strengthening early childhood programs, and with state testing beginning in third grade, Tuckahoe and Southampton officials see that as one of the biggest benefits of the proposed merger.
The districts deserve credit simply for exploring the merger option. They were among seven South Fork districts, along with Eastern Suffolk BOCES, that applied last year for a state efficiency grant to study everything from shared services to re-forming the South Fork into two school districts along town lines. Even though State Education Commissioner John King has been a vocal proponent of mergers, the application was not funded. So Southampton and Tuckahoe funded their own study.
It would be a stretch to say this is the beginning of a trend. Two years ago, the Elwood district abandoned its quest to do a consolidation study because none of the five neighboring districts wanted to participate. But a merger of Tuckahoe and Southampton could inspire districts grappling with similar problems to take a harder look. A merger would give Southampton and Tuckahoe the flexibility -- financial and otherwise -- to adapt to changing financial times and better serve students. That's a model to which everyone can aspire.
Valley residents are still months away from knowing whether a merger of their schools is in their future, but one thing is certain: the process being used to make that decision should serve as a model for other districts considering consolidation.
The four districts weighing the merger option — Frankfort-Schuyler, Herkimer, Ilion and Mohawk — completed public informational meetings this past week, and begin the next step on Tuesday with the first of four community discussions at Ilion Junior-Senior High School. Similar discussions will follow at the three remaining schools, during which the public will be allowed to ask questions based on the information presented so far.
Following the public sessions, each district school board will have to decide whether to go forward with an informal vote or straw poll.
The process has been a very deliberate one, which began nearly a year ago when 64 members of a Community Advisory Committee — a cross section of residents of all four districts — began exploring details to determine whether a merger would be financially beneficial to taxpayers. They were assisted by Douglas Exley, Paul Seversky and Samuel Shevat, three retired school superintendents from the SES Study Team in Canastota. After 10 months of study, they issued a report that was approved last month by the state Education Department.
The 255-page report was the basis for public informational sessions held in the four school districts. It doesn't recommend for or against a merger, but does closely examine opportunities and challenges each district would face in the event one was to occur.
The work isn't done. The upcoming series of meetings will provide the public an opportunity to ask questions. Those questions might range from how a merger will affect taxes, sports teams or the overall academic experience.
Whether you have questions or not, it's important that people attend to hear the discussion. Only then will you be able to make an informed decision.
Other districts considering mergers, take note. Whether all, some or none of the four valley districts decide to proceed is yet to be determined. But one thing is certain: taxpayers in all four districts are being served responsibly by a process that has been very time-consuming, and advisory committee members are to be commended for their efforts. They have provided the resources, and it’s up to the public to help them complete the process.
Upcoming meetings
Four meetings are planned between now and January to allow the public to ask questions about aproposed school merger in the valley. All meetingsbegin at 7 p.m.
How it works
The vote on the final referendum is expected some time in the late winter. If three or four boards or communities approve a vote, they move on to the next step. Only those boards or communities that approve a vote move on.If only two boards or communities approve, the merger process ends. As determined by SED, the merger must include at least three of the four districts.If the final referendum passes, the merged districts would hold a special board of education election. That board would craft the budget that would go before the voters on May 15, 2012.The merged district would begin operations immediately upon approval of the final referendum. The Herkimer BOCES district superintendent would direct the new district until the new board is elected and the new administration is hired.
Copyright 2011 The Observer-Dispatch, Utica, New York. Some rights reserved
By Jaime Studd | For the Scandaga Express | April 5, 2012
NORTHVILLE — Residents of the Northville Central School District got their first glance at what a combined Mayfield-Northville school district would look like during a community informational meeting at the school on Thursday night.
A study team presented the results of a Reorganization Feasibility Study conducted by the panel, along with a group of 30 volunteers representing both communities.
A relatively small group of residents in attendance were presented with two options, the first of which included a wish list of sorts that featured all of the additional programs and services that the Community Advisory Joint Committee would like to see included in a combined district. That option would equate to a slight reduction in property taxes per $100,000 assessed value for Mayfield residents, but a more than $400 annual increase for Northville residents.
In the second option, the list of programs and services would be more limited, though still more than either district currently offers. In that option, taxes for Mayfield residents would see a significant decrease while those for Northville residents would stay the same.
The discrepancy is the result of the higher tax rate currently paid by Mayfield residents. Members of the study team told residents that the study was simply meant to serve as a road map, or a guideline of sorts, in their efforts to explore a possible merger.
"It would be inappropriate for us to answer questions about what you should do," the study team told the audience. "It's your community, your kids, your money."
Following the presentation, members of the community were given the opportunity to question the panel. The structure of the combined school board, the impact of the Hudson River-Black River Regulating District tax delinquencies and the logistics of merging varied contractual obligations were some of the concerns raised.
The consolidation will result in more than $18 million dollars in state incentive aid over course of the next 14 years for a merged district, both of which are currently struggling with fiscal constraints.
Still, some residents were hesitant to believe that long-term financial solvability could be ensured from such a merger.
Bill Eschler pointed to the multi-million dollar budget gaps currently facing the Broadalbin-Perth and Fonda Fultonville school districts, both of which underwent consolidations some years ago, as evidence that incentive aid is not a long-term solution to budgetary problems.
"They're in worse trouble than we are now," said Eschler. "What's to stop that from happening here."
The study team said the merger plan includes long-range budgeting in which some of the incentive money would be annually contributed to reserves, as well as applied to debts, which will result in a decrease in expenditures for the district over time.
The problem, said the study team, is that some merged districts overspent the incentive money and it was not "strategically set aside" as is planned in this case.
Another resident expressed concerned over the fact that the debts of both communities would be absorbed as a whole. According to the study, Mayfield's debt is projected to be approximately $2.6 million after the year 2015, while Northville’s in only expected to be a little more than $400,000.
The study team said the merger is actually an ideal one because each community has something to bring to the table.
While Mayfield's debt is higher, its building facilities are better, according to the study. The building conditions survey included in the study projects that a merged district will require between $5 million and $6 million in building improvements in the coming years, the majority of which is required in Northville.
Also, because of the way the state incentive aid is allocated, the Mayfield School District will bring the majority of that money to the bargaining table.
Following the meeting, most residents said they were pleased with the thoroughness of the presentation, specifically that it addressed many of their uncertainties about the proposed consolidation. Still, most remained undecided about whether or not to support it.
"I think they did a very thorough job," said Eschler. "Whether you’re for it or not, at least they presented the information you'd need to make a decision."
But, Eschler said he was still unsure about whether the merger was a "Band-Aid or a solution."
Jennifer Achey said she grew up in Northville and graduated from the school. "I love this school," said Achey. "For me, it's emotional."
In the coming weeks, both the Mayfield and Northville Boards of Education will conduct community forums to gauge public opinion on the matter. From there, each will decide whether to move forward with the consolidation.
Thursday April 25, 2013 | By:Sean O'Neil, Tonawanda Source | News
KENMORE/TONAWANDA Rumors have circulated for months. But now, a solid, digestible plan for school consolidation is in front of the Ken-Ton community.
While no decision is imminent, an 83-page report, featuring numerous scenarios of school closures and consolidations, is now in the hands of the Ken-Ton School district. The plan, put together by a consulting group hired by the district to study possible consolidation, comes just months before the closure of Jefferson Elementary School.
While not picking one plan over another, the report lays out a series of ways the district can close schools, move students from one school at another, and the costs of each plan. Emotions can be high when pitching the idea of a new school for a child. But the facts don't lie, according to the report.
"The data suggest that the decline in total district K-5 enrollment over the past six years has occurred in six out of the seven elementary (schools). The annual enrollment pattern over six years at Lindbergh is the only (school) with a positive trend slightly above zero," the report reads. "All three middle schools had similar negative patterns of decreasing enrollment. Both high schools had significant patterns of decreasing annual enrollments since 2007.".
With more and more residents and their school-aged children fleeing the area, and with Albany cutting off the funding spigot since the recession of 2008, school consolidation has become a hot topic. Yet it's an emotional one for parents, school staff and administrators. But it’s an issue that all sides agree must be addressed.
While the document released this week may be a bit daunting to rifle through, Ken-Ton Parent Teacher Student Association president Jill O'Malley is hopeful parents will see what the plan offers for their children in the near future.
"One thing I'm hopeful for is that the (school) board seems definitely receptive to public input," she said. "It's going to be a tough sell. I hope people get informed and let their voices be heard. It's a lot to digest, but there's a lot of time to think about it."
District Superintendent Mark Mondanaro took a cautious approach when discussing the proposed moves, none of which would be ready for approval for months.
"It's very comprehensive with much data to be considered. We'll go through the process of public hearings and then the Focus Group prioritization," he said. "Following that, we'll engage a more specific analysis for financial and educational program impact."
Three public hearings on the proposals were held last week, and three more will be held this week: