Overcoming Obstacles to Consolidate Schools

If America’s Schools are to meet the needs of the twenty first century, they must be reinvented. It is not enough to try to fix the schools; they must be reconstructed in both fundamental and radical ways. The school system must be restructured. The future of the American public school system is significant because the maintenance of an informed and productive citizenry is vital to the future of this country. Historically, Americans have strongly asserted the importance of public schools in a democracy and despite growing disdain for the perceived value of the school system, public schools remain central to democracy in the United States. History of Public Education

For more than a century, America’s public schools have been an indispensable source of the country’s strength. Public education has allowed citizens to become productive members of society by providing them with the skills and knowledge necessary for the labor force. Schools prepare students to be literate, informed and reasoning citizens. According to Philip Schlechty, author of Schools for the twenty-first century, “Public schools are the ties that bind this pluralistic society into a nation” (Schlechty, 1990).

With the education system in serious trouble, education is becoming a more and more important political issue in this country. It seems that in every election no matter how big or small, education is always an important issue. Presidents claim to be the “the education president.” Politicians often promise more educational programs and more funding for schools, but in unfortunate contrast to their promises, policymakers seem to view spending money on schools as an irritating cost rather than an important investment.

Public School Funding
There is an undeniable gap between rich and poor schools in the United States. Why do such vast differences exist? Mostly because funding for public schools is tied to local property taxes (“How Schools Are Funded,” 2006). If a school is in an affluent area with a lot of money, the local property taxes will be high. Higher property taxes translate into more funding for the school. States also give money to all public schools, so the rich schools get sizable funds from multiple places. A public school in a low socioeconomic status area will not be as lucky. Is the system fair? The answer you get depends on who you ask. Ask students of a poor district, and they will likely say that it is not. Distributing funds for education by state and not by county would help reduce some of these inequalities. But suburban taxpayers say it would be unfair to take their tax dollars and send them to students outside of the county. Some argue that if a county isn’t willing to pay top dollar for their schools, they shouldn’t expect another county to do so for them.

Of course, this argument is misleading. It’s not that taxpayers in poor areas are not willing to pay for schools; it’s that they just don’t have the money that rich suburban taxpayers do. This is especially true when schools in one county are significantly poorer than in another. Good schools are a high priority now more than ever. Affluent people know education is the key to continued success and poor people see it as a way to climb out of poverty. Competition for school funding is also at an all-time high. Poor schools know they need the money but find the richer schools unwilling to sacrifice their own funding.

As David Heath of the well-funded Williamson County School District said, “If someone gives it to you, what incentive is there for you to find ways to increase your local effort? If you always provide the benefits without asking the person to help themselves, then that makes it hard to break” (Klausnitzer, 2004). Unfortunately, this line of thinking creates a vicious cycle. With an uneducated population, the area’s socioeconomic status and property values will stay low. Low property values means little funding for the schools, which leads right back to an uneducated population. I understand why rich schools are hesitant to part with their tax dollars, but unless they do, schools will never be equally funded. And until schools are equally funded, students in richer districts will get significantly better educational opportunities than students in poorer districts. Teacher Roles and Sacrifices

What is the number one requirement for students to learn in a classroom? Of course, the teacher teaches them everything that they learn for the day. The problem arises when teachers are no longer happy with their job and the quality of their teaching is greatly affected because of it. Therefore, not only are the teachers upset, but we are also hurting the students who are at school to learn. With the lack of funding, teacher positions are one of the first things to go when a budget is cut as salaries take up a lot of a school’s budget. When a budget cut is in the process, staff morale plummets as teachers wait to see if they have a job for the next year. Not only is the individual teacher upset with the job uncertainty, but the morale between the staff is also in jeopardy. Younger and older teachers become on edge with one another because the younger teachers feel that they are better qualified for the jobs and want the older teachers to retire. The more experienced teachers feel they should not be forced into retirement if they do not want to; they feel they were at the institution first so they should get to stay (J. Pesci, personal communication, October 25, 2012). All of these factors contribute to the drop in teacher morale.

In addition to possibly losing their jobs, many teachers are being forced to work additional jobs to help make up for their low salaries. “What other profession do you know where professionals have to use their own money to do their job properly?” says Janet Fass, spokeswoman for the American Federation of Teachers. “Do engineers, do accountants spend their own money? Why should teachers when they are far lower paid than other professionals?” (Durand, 2012). According to Pesci, teachers are spending out-of-pocket money on students and their classroom now more than ever (personal communication, October 25, 2012). Those include school supplies for their students, snacks to help their students meet basic nutritional needs, and gloves, hats, jackets, and other warm clothes for their students to wear to school. Some teachers even go as far as to buy personal-care items, such as toothbrushes and sanitary products, toilet paper and soap. Many even pay the costs of field trips for students who would otherwise not be able to attend.

J. Pesci goes on to explain, one of the most important issues that affect teachers and students during consolidation is how overextended the teachers are forced to be (personal communication, October 25, 2012). Larger classes make more paperwork for the teacher to try to keep up with, which becomes very stressful. Because of this, teachers are not trying as many new techniques and limiting the amount of activities they do. Teachers are also being forced to step out of their comfort zone. They are being forced to teach outside of their fields of expertise, which in turn overextends them even more. If this was not enough to disrupt the role of a teacher, doing other jobs besides teaching adds to it. In many schools, not only do teachers have to teach, but they are also required to perform other tasks. Some of which include supervising the cafeteria and hall monitoring. This just adds to their stress levels and low morale. J. Pesci states, “I have seen a number of my (teacher) friends switch schools to obtain better working conditions, such as small classes, over receiving a better salary (personal communication, October 25, 2012).” Consolidating and the Community

Some of the challenges of consolidating two or more school or districts are different every time, but the same challenges arise over and over. This is due to the simple fact that you are merging the operations of complex organizations. A common challenge may be that one may feel like the loneliest number. Change is difficult, but it happens. Part of accepting the change is a personal tendency to compare past experiences. If a district had more resources, a stronger sense of community involvement, another perceived advantage over the other district(s), they will want to go back to the way it was (American School Board Journal, 2008). Another common challenge is the feeling that all things are not created equal. According to the American School Board Journal (2008), resources often play a role in the decision to consolidate; chances are that you will have disparities across the district. Salaries for teachers and principals likely will have to be equalized, which can cause some hard feelings. Facilities and technology may be lacking in one or more sections. Student assignment patterns, and the potentially ugly process of redistricting, may have to be revisited.

Merging schools or districts could have a great academic impact, not just inadvertent consequences. Merging schools could result in an improved graduation rate. For example, if one school has a graduation rate of 65 percent while the other has a rate of 96.2 percent, merging the school would produce a new average rate of 80.6 percent. The merger would create the appearance of increased competence and help the school achieve the goals necessary to receive federal funding (Warshaw, 2012).

Merging schools requires planning, organization and time, and has both advantages and disadvantages that must be carefully evaluated. Because the timeline is so short, there may not be time for a thorough superintendent search, at least at the beginning. At the same time, the selection of the district’s CEO — and his or her subsequent hiring of key central office and building-level administrators — can be a make-or-break move.

Consolidation has substantial impact on local communities, both financially and educationally. Because of the local impact, local choice is a critical element to a successful merger. In places where the school is the sole source of community services, loss of the schools would be greatly felt. Conversely, communities with strong networks of organizations and facilities are better equipped to withstand the loss of schools through consolidation. Finally, only discussion and debate can determine the proper weight to be given to all elements of the consolidation issue. Concerns for economic efficiency and school size must not outweigh the effect of school consolidation on the community. Only by granting equal importance to all the major factors can decision-makers ensure that “narrow concerns about formal schooling do not unconsciously override broader educational concerns and the general well-being of the community to which those broader educational concerns are intimately connected” (Kay 1982). Conclusion

In conclusion, an obstacle faced by teachers striving for a sustainable community is the trend to consolidate schools. When enrollment fails, it is reasonable to consolidate resources, including human resources, to foster continuation of the students’ education. This solution focuses on the future. However, it is unlikely that teachers will voluntarily give up their employment to this end. It is too great a personal sacrifice.

References

American School Board Journal. (2008, 10). The challenges of consolidation. Retrieved from http://www.asbj.com/TopicsArchive/TwinRiversUnification/TheChallengesofConsolidation.html Durand, M. (2012, 8 31). Teachers Spend Own Money for Supplies. ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=95922&page=1 Houston Independent School District. (2006). How schools are funded. Retrieved October 29, 2012 from http://www.houstonisd.org/HISD/portal/article/front/0,2435,20856_1317366_1355470,00.html Kay, Steve. “Considerations in Evaluating School Consolidation Proposals.” SMALL SCHOOL FORUM 4 (Fall l982):8-10. Klausnitzer, D. (2004). Rich school, poor school. The Tennessean online. Retrieved October 29, 2012 from http://www.tennessean.com/education/archives/04/05/51062761.shtml Schlecty, P. C. (1990). Schools for the twenty-first century: Leadership imperatives for educational reform Jossey-Bass Inc Warshaw, A. (2012). Advantages & Disadvantages of Merging Schools. PTO Today. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/info_8733996_advantages-disadvantages-merging-schools.html