Closing schools needs more study

To the editor:
Research from 1960 to the present indicates no compelling reason to consolidate schools to save costs, with the trend being towards deconsolidation.
In Jay County, school consolidation has led to declining enrollment, devastated communities (and property values), destructive bus rides and less parent and student involvement. According to the 2010 census, 500 to 700 school age children living in Jay County are not enrolled in Jay Schools.
The Rural School and Community Trust (2003), after analyzing 50 years of studies states, “projected cost savings from consolidations are either temporary or illusory because cost savings in some areas are offset by higher costs in other areas such as transportation, expanding facilities, higher rates of vandalism, etc.” Terry Spradlin (Center for Evaluation and Education Police at Indiana University, 2010) states, “Any future discussion of consolidation should also include consideration of deconsolidation.”
Effects of closing schools:
1. Transportation costs are much higher.
2. Long bus rides, largely unsupervised, at up to two hours per day are destructive to the student. Over a six-year period, this equals approximately 1 1/2 more years of school time. Jay School Corporation has one of the largest land areas in the state at 383 square miles. The Rural School and Community Trust says the longest rides (more than 30 minutes) at rural elementary schools “widely violate professional norms and compound risks to the well being of elementary students.”
3. More time and expense for parents coming to the school and for extracurricular activities.
4. Larger distant schools tend to lead to less participation in sports, band, clubs, etc.
5.The teacher, student and community connection is weakened.
6.The devastation to the small communities that lost their school.
William H. Dreier and Willis Goudy (1994) said, “3/4 of communities without a high school were losing population.” Thomas A. Lyson (2002) found “property values 25 percent lower for communities without schools.”
7. Loss of enrollment, from the census and Jay school enrollment numbers.
From 1970 to 2014 the total population drop was 2,321. The school enrollment drop for this period was even greater at 2,688, or 500 to 700 more than can be explained by the census drop. Where are they?
8. A need for school construction or remodeling as pointed out by superintended Tim Long in the Sept. 28 article in The Commercial Review.
The article was informative, but it raised questions.
1. Using the total cost to educate students for all schools (by adding the numbers from the article), we are more than $6 million in the black. That indicates the budget shortfall lies elsewhere. The costs of transportation, administration building, special personnel, etc., should be looked at.  
2. This analysis addresses only $24 million of the $35 million budget.
3. This analysis “likens the ‘cost by school’ report to an analysis of a company’s different product lines.” The Rural School and Community Trust says this does not work for schools because costs are not fixed.
Consolidation is not solving our budget problems, and may be causing them.  
1. An audit of the entire budget is in order and an assessment made of priorities, keeping in mind that the most important parts for education are the teachers, students, schools and communities.
2. We can increase enrollment of each local school now by going to K-6 in the elementary schools. Next look at going to K-8 where we can. Next, locate the 500 to 700 missing students and win them back. Consider a school on the east side of the county.
3. Make the communities attractive to young families by strengthening the schools in all of the communities.
4. Finally, student and community well being and achievement should be included in this discussion. Our goal should be to have the best schools, not the most efficient.
Mike Bishop
Dunkirk and Madison Township