It may come as a surprise to some of you that the School Board will be beginning a school consolidation study this week. This study is taking place under the guise of a “facilities study” but is really an attempt to force consolidation of the high schools through the closing of Narrows Elementary and extensive and expensive renovations and reconfigurations to existing schools or construction of a new school. These expected proposals will likely have radical effects on students on both ends of the County.
As the objective educational benefits and drawbacks of consolidation are hard to quantify and subjective educational benefits are open to debate, very little traction has been gained by that argument from consolidation advocates. Historically, consolidation made no sense economically due to any cost savings being lost due to increased transportation costs and the amount of money spent over the past couple of decades on extensive school renovations. However, for the last few years, consolidation advocates on the School Board have tried to flip the field on economics through facility studies.
The architecture firm of Crabtree Rohrbaugh and Associates (“CRA”) will be in our schools for 2 days to assess our school buildings and make recommendations as to facility improvements. Although this study is expected to cost at least $50,000, CRA and other architecture firms do not make their real profits on facilities studies. Rather, CRA makes its real profit on the design and construction projects. In other words, CRA has an incentive to recommend as many drastic initiatives as it can so that it can later bid on the design for the recommended projects.
CRA’s study will also look at school district boundaries, bus routes and other aspects of our school system. Every aspect of the school system could be affected.
Throughout this process, citizens are likely going be bombarded with facts and figures about cost savings of the proposals. Take those numbers and the commitment to cost savings and stewardship of public dollars with a grain of salt. In the past decade school system has lost approximately 250 students and equivalent state funding for said students. In that same period of time the overall employee count of the school system has increased by over 20. This increase in personnel and decrease in state funding has come at a time when our excellent teachers have been fighting for a well-deserved pay increase.
Too often in this County, decisions are made, and dies cast without the knowledge of the public. Once the public becomes aware, it is too late to have input. The decisions being made will affect the next several generations of students and will set the course of County spending for the next two decades. Given the economic realities facing the County from a declining and aging taxpayer base, everyone regardless of their connection to the school system, will be affected by the decisions that come out of this study.
Public hearings and other opportunities for public input have been promised. Educate yourselves both about our school system and our School and County budgets. Participate in these hearings and give your input to the process.
I will update this blog with more information as it becomes available.