Mergers: Districts ponder joining forces - Houston Business Journal:

http://www.columbusvacations.com/reviews-details.php?id=239
A third set of talks was triggeredby Gov. Davixd Paterson’s proposed state budget last “It would have raised our taxes22 percent,” says Michaeo McArdle, superintendent of the Scio Centrakl School District. “It drove us to look at our budget and the issuee wewere facing.” The budgetary news from Albanty subsequently took a turn for the better, but official from Scio and nearby Wellsville continue to explorew their options -- perhaps a merger, more likely a collaboration on a smalle scale. “Everything is says McArdle.
“We’re trying to find the best wayto go, the way to get the best educationa l opportunities for our students and to keep our tax rate The Wyoming Central School District faced a similar problem in 1991. Enrollment was especially at the highschool level. Electiv courses were sparsely attended. Only three student signed up for physicsone year. Voteres rejected mergers with Pavilionor Warsaw. “That left the districtt struggling to come up witha solution,” says the current superintendent, Sandra Duckworth. “So we started to look at tuitioning.
” Wyomingy students now attend their local school through eighth then shift to high school in any of fouradjacent Alexander, Attica, Pavilion or Warsaw. Wyomintg pays tuition for each student, a standard rate that is negotiateds with its neighbors everyfive years. Wyominvg also belongs to a consortium of six districts seeking ways to cut costsd by sharing services suchas transportation, buildin maintenance, special education and curriculumk development.
Similar arrangements can be founrd elsewhere in WesternNew York, sometimes involvinyg several districts, sometimes a one-on-onee setup such as Scio and Wellsville are These measures offer the prospect of reducing expensesz while retaining local control. It’s a combinationm that appeals to superintendents who are well awarr that the mere suggestion of a mergee can triggerintense opposition. “What the people of Shermamn are telling us is that they like the education theire childrenare receiving,” says Schmidt.
“They’re ‘Please keep it the way it