Notes+and+Sources

1) There just isn't enough Contrary to a mandatory school consolidation plan proposed by the state's top education official, Commissioner Armando Vilaseca, Starr said, "As far as I'm concerned, there will be no mandate."

"It's going to come from the bottom up," Starr said, prior to the start of the two-hour forum.

And given an absence of information on how much Vilaseca's school consolidation plan — from 280 school unions down to 50 — would save the state and the educational outcomes that may result from it, Starr told the public more work needs to be done.

There also isn't information on how much the popular bill H.782, or the "Peltz" bill, would save the state if it passed, according to the discussion.

That bill promotes financial incentives to districts that merge.

"There's an utter lack of data that consolidation will save money and be better for our kids," said Sean Lee, a Pittsfield parent.

"Wait for the proof before you make any decisions," Lee urged the committee.

Other parents from Chittenden said they had unique children with unique needs and they relied on school choice, an option that may be threatened by forced school or school district consolidation.

Public school superintendents from the area said a one-size-fits-all approach to education reform won't work.

"Don't paint a broad brush," Rutland Superintendent Mary Moran said.

"It worries us here in the city because that's not our demographic or our structure," she said of targeted high cost, small class-size schools.

"In some districts, closing schools make sense," said Superintendent Daniel French of Sunderland's Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union.

Chuck Piotrowski of Wallingford said something vital was missing from the whole conversation.

"We've heard about dollars and nothing about education," he said. "When I sign that check (for taxes), one of the saving graces I have is that some of it goes to education and making kids smarter."

The next Senate Education Committee hearing is set for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. tonight in Bennington at the Mount Anthony Union Middle School cafeteria at 747 East Rd.

[] By Cristina Kumka Staff Writer - Published: April 6, 2010

2) As school administrators across the country look for ways to cut costs, some are considering school consolidation. By merging several schools into one school district, duplicate positions such as superintendents and administrative-support staff can be eliminated to save money. When schools can combine small student populations into one building, they can cut even more staff, and they can use the additional resources to offer more electives and Advanced Placement classes. But these plans have been met with opposition from some parents and administrators, who argue that although the schools might save money, residents end up footing the bill because they pay more in taxes when their district merges with one in a more expensive area. They also maintain that larger schools and fewer administrators mean a decrease in school unity, personalized education, and accountability. Do the benefits of school consolidation outweigh the possible impacts on communities? Tell us what you think!

[] **The Edutopia Poll** by __ Sara Ring __

3)

**Pros** **Cons**
 * **Cost savings**. According to the RIPEC study, combined, the island’s three school districts will save anywhere from $2.8 – $12 million annually between FY 2012 and FY 2014.
 * **Educational quality could increase.** A larger, more fiscally efficient school system can offer a wider curriculum. With funds freed up from personnel and maintenance costs, school consolidation could mean more money to devote to education.
 * **Facilities upgrades.** The state is offering financial incentives to communities that are looking into school consolidation in the form of increased reimbursement rates for school construction. If the districts were to consolidate, the three communities would be eligible to to be reimbursed upwards of 60 percent on capital projects.
 * **Added revenues from land/facilities sales.** Each district may be able to generate additional revenue through land sales or rental fees for properties that may no longer be needed under a consolidated arrangement.
 * **Business development.** Excess school properties could be converted into commercial or residential space. Newport has seen this reuse time and again with former schools like Mumford being converted into affordable housing units and most recently with the conversion of the Lenthal School into luxury condominiums.
 * **Educational quality could decrease.** Though opinions differ, consolidation efforts haven’t necessarily been the panacea proponents hope it will be. Oftentimes, the transition from local school districts to regional organizations can be turbulent. Opponents to an island-wide district argue that students from better performing schools would suffer under consolidation.
 * **Loss of local control.** Proponents for community school districts argue that locally elected school committees can better represent the values of a given community than a consolidated, or regionalized school system would.
 * **Layoffs could have an adverse affect on the local economy.** With many teachers and faculty living in the districts where they teach, the job losses likely to be associated with consolidation could have an negative impact on area businesses.
 * **Students will be uprooted.** Under the full consolidation plan offered by the RIPEC study, one Aquidneck Island high school and one middle school will be closed. This could have an adverse social impact on students who would be forced to transition into a central school system.
 * And finally: **Schools go beyond simple brick and mortar.** People often see the loss of a school as the loss of part of their community.

[] by [|Newport Now Staff] on July 1, 2009 in [|LOCAL NEWS], [|Middletown], [|Newport]

4) SCHOOL SIZE - BIGGER IS NOT BETTER **//By David W. Kirkpatrick//** A survey of 12,708 elementary teachers in Chicago disclosed their belief that there is more progress in small schools than in large ones

as the schools got bigger student achievement declined. Not only that, larger schools have higher rates of absenteeism, dropouts, discipline problems, disorder and violence

Many reasons have been given for the decline of SAT scores in recent decades, such as the growth of teacher unions and the weakening of family structures. Perhaps each of these factors does play a role. But so, too, may be the building of larger schools, which also has coincided with the lower SATs.

[]

5) There is mounting evidence that smaller schools provide a better quality education than large ones. "A higher percentage of students, across all socioeconomic levels, are successful when they are part of smaller, more intimate learning communities," says a recent U.S. Department of Education study. "Security improves and violence decreases, as does student alcohol and drug abuse. Small school size encourages teachers to innovate and students to participate, resulting inŠhigher grades and test scores, improved attendance rates, and lowered dropout rates." Educators differ on the subject of the optimal size of these small schools but most agree that they should house between 300 and 900 students. Fall 2001 Newsletter []
 * Small Schools Are Better**
 * By: Ann Kauth, Local Government Commission**