School consolidation - recent happenings (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: best schools, taxi, property taxes) - Pennsylvania (PA) - City-Data Forum

toobusytoday · 03-27-2009, 08:49 AM

Over on the Philly forum Soulsurv posted a thread regarding the proposed School Consolidation here in PA. Thought I would share a link that he referenced so that everyone could see it: CAUTION: SCHOOLS MERGING AHEAD | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/22/2009 (http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/41641692.html - broken link)

I have a friend that moved here from North Carolina where the districts were huge. She said that kids could be assigned anywhere in the district every year depending on class size. I think she meant elementary schools, but even that sounds awfully disruptive.

I like our school district and the schools were our biggest priority when we were choosing where to live. I'd love to hear some's pro's on big districts from someone that has experience with them.

bethany12 · 03-27-2009, 10:43 AM

I am against large school districts and against consolidation. I have relatives whose family has lived in the same rural farm county for over 100 years. The county consolidated two small districts to cut on cost and lack of students. Then land started to be gobbled up when the rush to the exurbs started to occur back in the late 90s - present. The population of the small rural district ballooned along with development. Now their district is huge and is suffering from every ill imaginable from being part of a large school district. Family members are now sadly making the choice to move away because of the size of the district and property taxes.

soulsurv · 03-27-2009, 12:48 PM

Thanks for posting this here, tbt. It seems that some will be taxed much less while the more scholastically successful districts will carry a bigger tax load. The problem with taxing the "better" districts in this economy could prove to be a real problem if that homeowner loses his/her job. It's happening now. Doesn't seem all that fair.

Pureblood · 03-27-2009, 06:10 PM

In Blair County there are 7 public school districts, Altoona, Hollidaysburg, Bellwood, Tyrone, Central, Claysburg-Kimmel, and Williamsburg.
Altoona being the largest with an average class graduation of about 900 i think, and Williamsburg being the smallest with an average class graduation size about 45.
I go to Williamsburg and I personally don't want merged with other schools. Sure by the time everything is said and done, I will be long out of school. I just don't think it seems right putting all these schools into one disrict.
I think he wanted to go from 500 to 100 disricts. There are 67 counties in PA so basically it would be like county districts except Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and other large cities.
For example Altoona school district has 8,300 students while Williamsburg has 600. If you had all the disricts students in Blair county into one you would get about 15000 students. To me that seems like an extremely large number of students for one district.
I was at a career fair and I was told by an Altoona teacher that they have about 20 English teachers and 6 Chemistry teachers. At Williamsburg there is 2 English teachers and 1 chemistry/physics teacher.
Plus the school district is all Williamsburg has other than Mead Westvaco, If the school district goes, there goes pretty much the town. Plus I don't know, the school just has a tradition and many people don't want to see that go. Basketball is very important here and if we merged districts who would be? Would we be the blue pirates? Or would be the scarlet dragons? Or the Blue devils? Or lions? How would sports go, It would be all messed up.

firefightermom · 03-27-2009, 06:19 PM

I grew up in Ohio where things were the same as PA...each city had it's school district. So when you moved to a town, you knew exactly which schools your kids would be going to, usually with a number of elementary schools, a couple middle schools, and one high school.

I moved to MD where things are run by each county. I found the system ridiculous. You could move to one town, but your kids went to school in another town. There was a high school 5 miles away, but my kids would have gone to the one 10 miles away. Not to mention the fact that the school board could redraw the boundary lines whenever they wanted, so if you moved into a certain school cluster, there was no guarantee it wouldn't change. I found that the best schools in the county were located where the richest people were--even though everything was supposed to be even, those schools somehow got more money, more everything than the others.

I was glad to move to PA and get back to smaller districts and smaller schools...and I don't want it to change. Our district is big enough already; I don't think we need to combine with anyone else.

danwxman · 03-27-2009, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pureblood

In Blair County there are 7 public school districts, Altoona, Hollidaysburg, Bellwood, Tyrone, Central, Claysburg-Kimmel, and Williamsburg.
Altoona being the largest with an average class graduation of about 900 i think, and Williamsburg being the smallest with an average class graduation size about 45.
I go to Williamsburg and I personally don't want merged with other schools. Sure by the time everything is said and done, I will be long out of school. I just don't think it seems right putting all these schools into one disrict.
I think he wanted to go from 500 to 100 disricts. There are 67 counties in PA so basically it would be like county districts except Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and other large cities.
For example Altoona school district has 8,300 students while Williamsburg has 600. If you had all the disricts students in Blair county into one you would get about 15000 students. To me that seems like an extremely large number of students for one district.
I was at a career fair and I was told by an Altoona teacher that they have about 20 English teachers and 6 Chemistry teachers. At Williamsburg there is 2 English teachers and 1 chemistry/physics teacher.
Plus the school district is all Williamsburg has other than Mead Westvaco, If the school district goes, there goes pretty much the town. Plus I don't know, the school just has a tradition and many people don't want to see that go. Basketball is very important here and if we merged districts who would be? Would we be the blue pirates? Or would be the scarlet dragons? Or the Blue devils? Or lions? How would sports go, It would be all messed up.

Who cares about sports...I mean, really??

Philadelphia already has one school district for the whole county.

Pureblood · 03-28-2009, 06:57 AM

Your obviously not from a small town.

As I said, the school is basically all we have. Once the school goes we down the crapper.

Sorry didn't now know Philadelphia has one district but I though Pittsburgh did.

Honestly every one around here cares about sports. Back is the 60's 70's and 80's Williamsburg built up a reputation of being a small school with a great basketball team. I don't know where you were raised or anything but to a small town, it school is everything. It gives the town an identity. We don't need all these rich people from Harrisburg telling us what we are doing right and what we are dong wrong. And if you think the only reason I don't want to merge with other is schools is because of sports, then your wrong. Just doesn't seem right. My school is old, and most likey it would be one to be shut down. So that means they would bus all of our students to some other school.

danwxman · 03-28-2009, 10:11 AM

No, I am from a small town. I hate how people's lives revolve around high school sports. It should be about the academics.

North Beach Person · 03-28-2009, 10:35 AM

I think some are operating under some misconceptions. A large system would have more than one school. Probably the larger schools would remain while smaller, under-enrolled ones would close. Money would be saved on having only one superintendent instead of 3 or 4 or 5. Central office staffs would be larger.

As an aside, run away from this plan.

Pureblood · 03-28-2009, 12:18 PM

I know school consolidation would save money. I am all for it if they keep all the schools open and let the schools just run basically like they are now.
It really is kinda pointless to have so many different secretaries and stuff sure that will save money.
And danwxman, everyone at my school that wants to get good grades do. The thing is, that way to many kids are lazy and just don't try. Also if consider the PSSA academics, it is all a joke really. All it does is take away from kids actually trying to learn. Teachers teach to the test and that is just wrong, if the state would minds its own businness and just let teachers teach the way they want to maybe things would be different. Kids that are not planned to do well on the PSSA have to a whole class just about the PSSA's for a year. So there is a class that some student is without becausethey have to teach for the PSSA.