Previous posts have used research and local data to prove that school mergers do not result in the advantages that are being claimed by our school districts. But the real truth is even worse: school mergers result in fewer opportunities for students, lower student achievement, higher dropout rates and increased spending and taxes. If that isn’t enough, mergers also inevitably damage communities. Why would anyone be in favor of a school merger?

Many claims of advantages of merging schools have been made by our school districts and by merger supporters.  Those claims have been refuted by published educational research and by the local experience of schools that have merged. See these three posts on the experience of OESJ and CVA for the local evidence.  But what our school districts and merger supporters never mention are the proven disadvantages that follow school mergers.  Here are some of those unavoidable disadvantages.

Loss of the small school advantage.  There are six “Is Bigger Better” posts among the 30+ posts on this website.  All are linked at the bottom of the final “Is Bigger Better (six)” post.  These posts cover a wide range of educational research showing that smaller schools excel in the following ways:

• Students in small schools are happier
• Small schools have fewer behavior problems
• Students in unmerged schools have lower dropout rates
• Students in smaller schools have higher participation rates in school activities
• Students in smaller schools have better test scores

None of this should be a surprise to anyone.  We all know that higher teacher/student ratios are better for learning. But it goes even deeper than that.  In a small school, every student is known and is necessary.  Every student can participate in any activity; the available places aren’t already filled by more talented students.  Students with less athletic talent can participate, in a meaningful way, in varsity sports.  And that is true for all school activities.  Every opportunity is genuinely available to every student.  That simply isn’t the case in larger schools. Finally, smaller schools lead to more diverse friend groups among students.  Everyone interacts with everyone else because, unlike in a larger school, they must. In smaller schools, retreating into your own tribe isn’t an option. 

Loss of community engagement and impact. Related to the increased participation rates among students is the level of participation by parents and the community in general.  When 50% of students participate in the school music program, 50% of the parents, along with other relatives and friends, are attending school concerts.  Extend that to drama, arts, athletics, Odyssey of the Mind, field trip chaperones, and other school activities, and you have a community that is much more involved in the everyday life of the school.

Loss of local control. Not only will there be less community engagement with the school after a merger, there will be less community participation in school governance.  This is simple arithmetic.  With un-merged schools we have 12 community members meeting at least monthly to discuss issues of school accountability and governance.  After a merger it will be either 5 or 7.  In the same vein, there will be fewer community members involved in PTA, various advisory groups, and the Committees on Special Education.  In general, only half as many community members will be involved in school governance.

Loss of fiscal accountability. The posts listed under Finance and Taxes demonstrate convincingly that merged schools are less efficient schools.  This is partly a natural response to the merger incentive aid.  As is demonstrated in the post “Who would turn down $84 million”, that allegedly free money is not capable of having a positive impact on school finances.  It is just an invitation to waste and a lack of accountability to the community.

Loss of Community Vitality. The posts linked on this site under Community Vitality all tell the same story.  When schools merge, local restaurants and businesses suffer, downtowns empty, and communities are diminished.  And unlike all of the supposed “possibilities” that merger supporters vaguely mention, none of this diminishment is merely possible. It is, unfortunately, certain.  It has happened with every single regional merger, and it will happen in Canajoharie and Fort Plain if our schools merge.

Merging schools involves nothing but loss. In the end, there is no evidence that the advertised potential advantages of merging schools ever become reality.  The evidence all shows that opportunities do not increase, student achievement decreases, and futures are blighted.  Opposing the merger is the best way to ensure a better future for our students and our communities.