State of Our Schools: The dilemma of shrinking schools

By Matt Petras
For the Mon Valley Independent
With enrollment dropping and budgets tightening, some in the Mon Valley have discussed the possibility of district mergers, but it’s a contentious issue that leaves many worried about potential issues like a given district losing its identity.
Enrollment for school districts in the Mon Valley vary significantly. Monessen School District, Clairton City School District and California Area School District each have fewer than 1,000 students, whereas others, West Jefferson Hills School District and McKeesport Area School District, have more than 3,000.
Any school districts looking to merge can, following a majority vote by each district’s school board directors. The district would then have to apply for a merger, according to Pennsylvania’s school code. The application would then move to the Secretary of Education. Next, Pennsylvania’s Board of Education would review it, hear from any affected parties who may have objections and either approve or decline it. If the state board declines, the districts can resubmit a proposal that addresses recommendations the state board may offer.
Ringgold School District, which has 2,787 students enrolled this school year, covers a wide swath of communities, including areas like Monongahela and Donora, which both previously had their own school districts. During the year or so that Megan Marie Van Fossan has served as Ringgold’s superintendent, there have not been talks of further district consolidation, she said. However, she said the state has too many school districts.
“I think the reality is… the commonwealth can’t afford to have 500 school districts,” Van Fossan said. “It doesn’t make sense.”
She does acknowledge that mergers can be a painful process for students and residents.
“Mergers are hard… there’s just no doubt about it. It’s emotional,” Van Fossan said. “It’s now not my school, it’s not my colors.”
New Eagle resident Patrick Smith of the New Eagle Community Action Group believes that conventional district mergers can be disastrous.
“It would civil war if you were to try to take away people’s identities, like what happened in Donora. It’s an absolute shame,” Smith said. “When Ringgold merged, nobody thought about the fallout of that. Donora should be a life lesson learned.”
However, he acknowledged that costs must be reigned in to some degree. He would approve of some small-scale consolidation, like merging Bentworth School District and Bethlehem Center School District, he said. He would also support a sort of hybrid strategy that would allow school districts to maintain their identity while still melding resources.
“If you did it through Washington County, and you had the Washington County School District Ringgold Division, and the Ringgold Rams still existed, and the Washington County School District Charleroi Cougars Division,” he said.
Monessen Superintendent Leanne Spazak said she has reservations about mergers.
“I think if you’re able to sustain yourself, there’s no reason you would want to merge,” Spazak said. “There’s really, the people who want it think there’s some advantage to themselves, but I think that merging hurts a district more, especially like ours, than it would help it.”
A merger for Monessen would also mean less government aid, according to Spazak.
“Some of the things that we get because of our demographics, our socio-economic status, these are things that we would lose if we would go into a bigger district,” Spazak said. “For example, right now, all of our kids get free and reduced lunch.”
Charleroi Area School District Superintendent Dr. Edward Zelich said that the school district is willing to explore the possibility of merging.
“We believe it’s extremely responsible for us to always listen and have open dialogue, and for any opportunities that present themselves that will enhance our educational system, we’re always open to that,” Zelich said. “We understand there’s challenges with mergers, but that doesn’t stop us from coming to the table to talk and discuss.”
Because of issues like enrollment drops and education costs, Zelich said he believes smaller districts in the area will eventually merge.
“I think districts will need to be collaborative to survive,” he said.
(Tomorrow, we will feature a recap of the State of Our School series and republish enhanced charts detailing attendance, enrollment and graduation rates.)