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Why not consider countywide school districts for state?

3 min read
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Pennsylvania may be many things – the Keystone State, a commonwealth rich in history, a sometimes uneasy mix of rural Americana and big-city brashness and the home to figures as diverse as Wiz Khalifa, Taylor Swift and Will Smith.

It’s also a state bursting with municipalities. We’re bested only by Illinois for the number of governmental units we have.

There aren’t too many other places where a simple milelong trip to the grocery store can carry you through three townships or boroughs.

In fact, there aren’t too many other states where a whole shopping center is situated in three municipalities, as is the Waterfront entertainment and shopping complex. It’s in Munhall, Homestead and West Homestead.

It was once the same with school districts. As Rick Shrum detailed in a story in the Sunday edition of the Observer-Reporter, there were once 2,277 school districts in Pennsylvania. Let’s repeat that – 2,277. That’s just too much.

However, in the 1960s, there was a flurry of mergers after districts were manadated to do so by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. In a three-year sprint from 1966 to 1969, the number of districts tumbled from 2,277 to 669.

Mergers continued in the years that followed, with more than 150 districts disappearing in the 1970s.

Now, there are an even 500 districts in Pennsylvania.

Shrum’s story detailed the turmoil that accompanied the process, and the concerns about the loss of community identity that would come with merged school districts. More often than not, those shouting the loudest were parents, not students.

Unless there is a spike in the commonwealth’s population over the next decade or two, it’s not out of the question that more mergers could be necessary. But let’s take the idea a step further: Why not consolidate districts so they operate on a countywide basis?

No, schools that serve neighborhoods and rural communities would not evaporate overnight. Washington County would still have Fort Cherry High School, Canon-McMillan High School and Peters Township High School. But rather than there being 15 school districts in the county, with 15 separate superintendents, assistant superintendents and administrative staffs, there would be just one superintendent. A main office could handle the nuts and bolts of educating young people, such as arranging transportation and purchasing supplies.

This would save taxpayers money no matter where they lived.

A countywide district could also provide a funding boost for districts that are not as well-heeled as others.

And, no, it would not do away with athletic rivalries – football, soccer and wrestling teams would most likely remain intact.

It’s said that people in this corner of the state, and in other parts of the commonwealth, cling tightly to home and tradition.

While that can be good in some ways, it sometimes means ossified ways of doing things are perpetuated past the point of practicality or usefulness. It also means that outmoded fiefdoms can be maintained, with taxpayers footing the bill.

Having countywide school districts is an idea whose time has arrived.

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