There’s more to consolidating school districts than drawing larger boundary lines.
“This is a big deal,” said University of Delaware professor Jeff Raffel, a longtime observer of Delaware school politics and once an advisor on intergovernmental relations for Gov. Pete du Pont. Merging districts, he says, is every bit as complex as corporate mergers, like those involving MBNA and the Wilmington Trust Co.
That’s why Raffel and several others in the education community are wondering whether it is the right time to consider consolidation.
Their worry is that the time and effort involved in discussing and, if approved, implementing consolidation will distract school officials who are focused on implementing reforms with the $119 million Race to the Top federal grant the state received last year.
“It’s an important question. Is this [consolidation] what we want to spend our energy on in the next couple of years?” Raffel asked. “We’re involved with Race to the Top. Do we want to do this too?”
“Given Race to the Top and education reform efforts in general … when [Delaware Secretary of Education] Lillian Lowery is talking about ‘bold reforms,’ is this really the right time to consider consolidation?” added Pam Nichols, director of communications for the Delaware State Education Association, the statewide teachers’ union.
Steven Godowsky, superintendent of the New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District, whose Howard High School is one of four targeted for major Race to the Top reforms, also sees consolidation as a distraction. “If we can chip away at the cost of [non-classroom] services, we can put the money into the classroom. Let’s stay focused on what’s important, stay focused on where we are with school reform.”
Sen. Michael Katz (D-Centreville), sponsor of the most recent consolidation proposal, disagrees. “Race to the Top is a very important initiative, one of the highest priorities to improve the school system,” he said. “But we need to think broadly. I don’t think discussing consolidation will interfere with Race to the Top. I think they can work in tandem.”
Consolidation is not a priority for Gov. Jack Markell. “Our energy and focus has been on working together with the districts and teachers to implement a number of reforms within those districts, rather than focusing on eliminating the districts entirely. We have encouraged districts to look for ways to consolidate backroom costs to make more resources available for classroom efforts,” said Brian Selander, chief strategy officer for Gov. Markell.