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Ilion, NY 13357
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Superintendent
Community merger committee looks at enrollment and buildings
The Community Advisory Committee took another step toward answering the question— how might a merged school look—as it met for the second time on Thursday. Feb. 3 at Herkimer BOCES. (see complete agenda (PDF))
SES Study Team led the group step by step through multiple sets of data related to the geography of the districts, student enrollments, class sizes, and building capacities. The committee will ultimately use that data to help determine whether a merger would be in the best interest of the four communities and their students.
Answering the questions
At the first meeting, each committee member wrote down three questions he or she felt needed to be answered by someone during the study. SES consultant Doug Exsley began the evening by sharing the complete list of those questions neatly divided into categories.
“When conducting a merger study you have to ask these sorts of questions,” said SES consultant Doug Exley pointing to the list of questions. “You’ve done a great job. These ARE those questions—and more so.”
Each question was followed by a blank column labeled “status.” The team encouraged committee members to check off each question as it is answered (see the list of questions (PDF)).
By the end of the study, SES consultant Paul Seversky explained that the committee needed to ask, “Were the questions answered?”
“That is the key,” he said.
Before diving into new topics, Dr. Seversky returned to a comment made at the January meeting. A member had suggested that the demographics of Herkimer County were changing in recent years by a rapid influx of people seeking social services. Dr. Seversky learned from Herkimer County Social Services that there has been little change over the last three years.
The meeting then focused on answering three questions:
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What is the geography of the merged district and where are the schools located?
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Who and how many students would attend?
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What facilities resources are available?
A look at the geography
To get a better picture of a reorganized district, the committee examined a map outlining the four school districts. A separate chart showed the area of each district and the relative mileage between the various schools (see the map and the chart (PDF)).
Each subcommittee—finance/personnel, program, and functional services—looked the map and chart making observations and trying to determine the opportunities presented and challenges posed by the size of a merged district and the location of the current schools.
They noted:
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A combined district would be 117 square miles (compared to West Canada at 112 square miles and Adirondack at 398 square miles).
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With the exception of West Schuyler Elementary, the schools are clustered within the villages.
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The furthest distance between schools is 8 miles (excluding West Schuyler Elementary).
They recognized opportunities for:
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Shared transportation,
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The possibility of after school activity buses,
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Greater efficiencies and improved economies of scale,
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Separating younger children from older students, and
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The possibility of closing unnecessary buildings.
They also recognized challenges including:
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Longer bus rides for some students,
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Transitioning, especially younger students, to new schools,
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Melding two districts that own buses with two districts that contract for bussing,
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Increased travel for interscholastic sports, and
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Overcoming longtime rivalries.
Who will the district serve?
To get a sense of what student population a combined district might serve, SES Study Team presented three sets of data.
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Enrollment Projection Calculations (pdf)—This corrected data set from the first meeting shows an estimate of how many students would served by the individual and combined districts over the next 10 years.
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Federal Census Demographics Estimates (PDF)—The data reveal that the communities are surprisingly similar in terms of age, sex, marital status, income, education, education, profession, and length of time in the community. The data indicates that the students and families of one community are very similar to those in the other three.
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2010-11 Grade Level Class Section Enrollments (PDF)—This breakdown of current enrollment lists the number of students in each classroom in each school.
How big are our buildings?
A merged district would need sufficient space to house students in elementary, middle/junior high, and high schools. SES Study Team collected the actual square footage of every classroom in the districts’ buildings. Using formulas developed by the State Education Department, the study team calculated the capacity of each building (see the data (PDF)).
Seversky noted that the buildings’ configurations and size could clearly meet the needs of a centralized district without requiring any new construction. In fact, the merged district would likely have excess space.
Dr. Seversky instructed each committee member to take the data sets home and review them, again looking for opportunities and challenges presented by a merged district.
Timetables and questions related to governance
SES Study Team presented a serious of questions and answers related to how and when a reorganized would come into being. If the four school boards all agree to a merger, each community would hold a straw vote to determine community interest. If all four communities agree to move forward, the boards of education request that the State Education Department to become involved. After formal petitions are filed, the communities would hold a formal referendum (in early March). If passed by all four communities, the new district begins operation July 1, 2012. (read the detailed schedule (PDF))
The committee meets again at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 2 at Herkimer BOCES.
