Observations on School Reorganization Kent Gardner, PhD President & Chief Economist

Center for Governmental Research (CGR)  Independent, objective nonprofit dedicated to the public interest  Founded in 1915 by Eastman Kodak’s George Eastman  Provide decision support for government, business and nonprofit leaders through research and analysis  Active throughout NYS; some activity in other states (currently NJ, MA, PA, AZ)

Our Context  Deeply involved in municipal reorganization discussion—40+ communities in NYS, NJ, MA during previous 5 years; general purpose municipalities (village/town/city/county) predominate  Public education  Cost comparison: Long Island v. Northern VA (Rauch Foundation)  Central business office opportunities (Sullivan, B-T, SCT BOCES)  Various service sharing studies (Nassau County, Addison, Orchard Park, Tonawanda, WSWHE BOCES)  Currently: Supporting RCSD strategic plan; exploring regional HS for Ontario County (Wayne-FL BOCES)  1993: Studied reorganization statewide on behalf of NYSED

Observations  School district mergers don’t save money  Maxwell analyses of “potential cost savings” & common sense suggest that they could. To date, they have not.  Why not? These are disruptive & unpopular—we buy off the opposition to achieve them.  Generalizations about NYS districts are dangerous  Nassau Of 53 unified/ES districts, 31 contain 5 sq mi or lessOf 53 unified/ES districts, 31 contain 5 sq mi or less 3,500 students per district—ranging from 674 (Island Park) to 8,149 (Massapequa)—20093,500 students per district—ranging from 674 (Island Park) to 8,149 (Massapequa)—2009 CWR varies by factor of 8.6:.541 (Hempstead) to (Oyster Bay)CWR varies by factor of 8.6:.541 (Hempstead) to (Oyster Bay)  Greene 7 districts: Smallest is 65 sq mi (Coxsackie-Athens); largest is 174 sq mi (Hunter-Tannersville)7 districts: Smallest is 65 sq mi (Coxsackie-Athens); largest is 174 sq mi (Hunter-Tannersville) 1,200 students per district—ranging from 411 (Windham- Ashland-Jewett) to 1,715 (Catskill)—20091,200 students per district—ranging from 411 (Windham- Ashland-Jewett) to 1,715 (Catskill)—2009 CWR varies by factor of 2.6:.565 (Cairo-Durham) to (Hunter-Tannersville)CWR varies by factor of 2.6:.565 (Cairo-Durham) to (Hunter-Tannersville)

Observations (cont.)  State’s diversity suggests that differences between districts make general statements difficult; in our experience, idiosyncratic factors swamp commonality  Conclusions from research? Can’t make bricks without straw...  Duncombe & Yinger school cost study: 12 consolidations b/n 87 and 95  Hue & Yinger property value study: 15 consolidations b/n 90 and 00  Few observations limits power of formal analysis  Conclusion: The value of further study of past consolidations is limited  Focus on new structures/alternative models

What’s the Objective?  We seek to improve educational outcomes in an environment of shrinking resources  Follow the money: Evidence suggests that structure is less important than productivity in the classroom Rather than re-arranging the desk chairs, let’s focus on improving the productivity of teachers, e.g. teacher education, recruitment, mentoring, evaluation, professional development, compensation  Perfect is the enemy of the good: Recognizing the role that district boundaries play in defining community identity & the power of the status quo, let’s focus our research on improving efficiency WITHOUT eliminating districts

Blur the Boundaries  Expand use of distance learning tools/alternative settings (particularly for rural districts); use technology to achieve gains from consolidation w/o re-drawing boundaries  Reform incentives for use of BOCES  BOCES aid intended to differentially subsidize poor districts, but also distorts price signals: Encourages use of BOCES even at higher cost  Limits on what is “BOCES aidable” can leave BOCES on sidelines where true efficiencies can be achieved  Consider converting BOCES aid to “block grant”  Encourage service sharing across BOCES borders  Consider whether school governance should be restructured—has the local school board outlived its usefulness?

Questions?