Rural School Consolidation in New York State Acceptance and Rejection: Considering the Past, Looking to the Future

• In Event: Millennium Hotel Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Rural School Reform Efforts: What Works?

Abstract

Schools have always been the heart of the community in rural areas, but the essence of this changes as school districts merge. In order to better understand the ways that school consolidation impacts communities, this qualitative case study utilizes interviews and original source documents. While some communities did benefit from consolidation, many did not. It was also the perception that the gains would not outweigh the costs was one of the reasons that communities chose not to merge. Additionally, there was a belief that other solutions (e.g. a regional high school only without merger, adoption of distance learning services, and rural economic development initiatives from NY State instead) were put forth by community members as more desirable.

Authors

• Tricia J. Stewart, Western Connecticut State University

• Nicole G. DeRonck, Western Connecticut State University

• Douglas Coates, Western Connecticut State University