Debbie Wachter Morris
New Castle News
NEW CASTLE —
(Fourth in a series of stories focusing on education as students return to the classroom.)
The prospect of school district consolidation in Lawrence County promises to be a main topic of discussion among superintendents next week.
As the 2010-11 school year begins, superintendents are looking at declining enrollment projections, wondering if consolidation is in their future.
The first step would be to participate in a feasibility study to see which districts would fit well with each other and how they would benefit from such a venture, according to Union’s superintendent Dr. Alfonso Angelucci.
The superintendents are planning to discuss the possibility of a study at their monthly meeting Sept. 10 at the Lawrence County Career and Technical Center.
Dr. C. Joyce Nicksick of Wilmington, Kathleen A. Kwolek of Mohawk and Dr. Mary S. Todora of Neshannock all have said they are waiting for those discussions before talks move forward in their districts.
“It will be more of an informal roundtable discussion to find out which districts are interested,” Angelucci said.
Todora has been off work for about a month and has not yet met with her board to discuss merger prospects. She plans to do so during the public work session Sept. 13. She and Nicksick previously had conversation about the possibility of Neshannock and Wilmington consolidating.
Angelucci explained that if any of the districts opt for a feasibility study, it would be a service contracted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The study also would analyze teachers and staffing, he said, noting the department is willing to consider multiple school districts entering into the same study.
MERGER TALKS
Districts in the county that have talked about merging have been Union, possibly with Mohawk or New Castle; Ellwood City, with Riverside; and Wilmington with Neshannock. So far, talks are in their infancy, according to the superintendents. They also are looking at other possibilities with other districts.
New Castle and Mohawk both have new or renovated high schools but declining enrollment trends. While Neshannock has made some school improvements, Wilmington is facing a possible overhaul of its high school, yet it has a fairly new football stadium and field house.
Union is continuing preliminary discussions with three districts, but a definite move forward would be when the district initiates a feasibility study, Angelucci explained. He anticipates his board deciding within the next two months whether to participate in one.
At his board’s request, Angelucci has talked with superintendents in Mohawk, New Castle and Shenango.
Union has been in continuing discussions with Mohawk about shared services for several months, talking most recently with Kwolek, who took over as superintendent July 1.
Angelucci noted that department of education enrollment projections for Mohawk show a sharp decline through 2013-14. New Castle’s enrollment also is predicted to decline.
And while all other districts show drops as well, “Union, believe it or not, would gain 10 students,” he said, adding Shenango will see a slight decrease.
Mohawk owes more than $20 million for its recently completed high school renovations, but the district has a healthy fund balance, Angelucci said, adding Mohawk is interested in additional students and tax revenues and in Union’s business district.
RESIDENTS’ CONCERNS
While district consolidation seems to make good economic sense, residents have concerns about losing established school traditions and feelings of identity.
Although the community has been rather quiet so far about merger talks, Angelucci said, he has had phone calls from people over the summer who have heard false rumors and he is doing his best to dispel them.
“They’d like to see us do what we can to save the Union school district,” he said, adding, “They are the traditional-minded residents, and that’s typical of many school districts in our county.
“But if it’s what’s best for the kids, the taxpayers and the programs in those schools, we have to look at it.”
ANOTHER PROSPECT
The Ellwood City district is on the brink of discussions with Riverside in Beaver County.
Frank Aloi, Ellwood City’s superintendent, said that at his board’s request, he wrote a letter to Riverside superintendent David Anney to initiate discussions.
“We didn’t meet formally,” Aloi said. “He’s going to get back to his board.”
Aloi sees districts looking toward consolidation because of Governor Ed Rendell’s proposal last year to consolidate 500 districts in Pennsylvania into 100, “which is an ambitious goal.
By school districts initiating talks with one another, he said, “It’s a matter of, do you want to control your own destiny or do you want someone to tell you what to do?”
