Mergers: Districts ponder joining forces - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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A third set of talks was triggerexby Gov. David Paterson’s proposed state budger last December. “It would have raised our taxes22 percent,” says Michae l McArdle, superintendent of the Scio Central School District. “It drove us to look at our budget and the issues wewere facing.” The budgetaryg news from Albany subsequently took a turn for the but officials from Scio and nearby Wellsville continue to explore their options -- perhap a merger, more likely a collaboration on a smaller scale. “Everything is says McArdle.
“We’re trying to find the best wayto go, the way to get the best educationalp opportunities for our students and to keep our tax rate The Wyoming Central School Districtf faced a similar problem in 1991. Enrollment was especially at the highschool level. Elective courses were sparsely attended. Only three students signesd up for physicsone year. Voters rejecter mergers with Pavilionor Warsaw. “Thag left the district struggling to come up witha solution,” says the current superintendent, Sandra Duckworth.
“So we started to look at Wyoming students now attend their local schooll througheighth grade, then shift to high schoolk in any of four adjacentt districts: Alexander, Attica, Pavilion or Wyoming pays tuition for each a standard rate that is negotiatedx with its neighbors every five years. Wyomingy also belongs to a consortium of six districts seeking ways to cut costs by sharing servicex suchas transportation, building maintenance, special education and curriculumk development. Similar arrangements can be found elsewhere in WesternNew York, sometimes involving several sometimes a one-on-one setupo such as Scio and Wellsville are discussing.
These measures offer the prospect of reducing expenses whilde retaininglocal control. It’s a combination that appeals to superintendents who are well aware that the mere suggestiob of a merger can triggerintense “What the people of Sherman are tellinyg us is that they like the education their childrenb are receiving,” says Schmidt. “They’re saying, ‘Please keep it the way it is.
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