The Con's to Consolidation

Why Consolidation is BAD idea....

• There is no legitimate research that supports that bigger schools offer a better quality of education. 
• Small schools can offer a close- knit family and a supportive, safe environment for learning. Community members share a commitment to a core set of values that could get lost if their children had to move to another school or district.  
• Research has shown that smaller schools are better for students of low- income status and that they have a higher level of achievement. The link between poverty and achievement is smaller compared to larger schools.
• Dropout rates are also higher in larger schools.  Although it may be less money on cost-per-student basis to operate a consolidated school, it actually wastes money in the long run due to the fact that high school drop outs are three times more likely to be unemployed, two and a half times more likely to receive welfare benefits and over three times more likely to go to prison 
•  The Rural School Community Trust  states that studies from 1960’s through 2004 have not necessarily shown any savings per student when consolidation has occurred. RSCT claims that school consolidation produces less fiscal benefits and greater fiscals costs. Even though administrative costs may decline, the money saved is then spent on specialized staff and transportation costs.
• When schools consolidate, many students are forced to endure long bus rides, some of which can be as long as over an hour one way. With these time consuming commutes, students’ ability to participate in extra curricular activities and after school sports is diminished. 
•  There is empirical evidence that shows longer bus rides can result in lower achievement scores and higher truancy rates.  Research has also shown that it can be crucial for an adolescent to be involved in extra-curricular activities; it can lead to opportunities for scholarships, future career paths and healthy adolescent development. 
• Transportation issues also affect parents because long distances can increase the barriers for participating in their child’s education via volunteering, conferences or school visits (Howley, Johnson, & Petrie, 2011). The cost of these additional transportation needs has sky rocketed as a result of consolidation. Public transportation in the mid 1990’s, with a push for consolidation in the 70’s and 80’s nationwide costs over 10 billion dollars.
• Drop out rates are lower, parent involvement is higher, interpersonal relationships between staff, families and students are better, attendance is consistent, students maintain a healthy sense of identity with less students falling through the cracks or getting lost in a crowd, extra curricular participation is higher and teacher attitudes are more constructive with a smaller teacher to student ratio . Child behavior is more productive and healthy in small schools as well. 
• A study done by the U.S Department of Education in 1999 found that schools had higher rates of violence if their school populations exceeded 1,000 students. With small schools, teachers and students are less likely to be a victim of a crime and classroom time is spent more on curriculum rather than on behavior problems . 
• Schools represent the center of communities and often act at the "hub" of the town. Closing schools means closing down a focal point in towns.