Posted on Fri, Nov. 06, 2009

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Good luck with school consolidation

In general, state Rep. Jason Watkins, R-Wichita, is correct: The people of Kansas don't "buy into the argument that this is the way we have always done it so we have to keep doing it."

But when it comes to school consolidation — which was what Watkins was referring to — getting the people and their lawmakers to agree to change has seemed next to impossible.

Significant school consolidation last occurred in Kansas in the 1960s. Several studies of school consolidation have been completed since then, including a 2001 consultant's report.

But other than some efforts to encourage voluntary consolidation, the issue hasn't gotten far in the Legislature. Former Rep. Bill Mason of El Dorado received death threats for even asking for a review of school boundaries, and some lawmakers are so afraid of the issue that they refer to it as the "C-word."

Concerns about consolidation are understandable. Local schools are one of the largest employers and a center of civic life in many communities, and losing schools could cause some small towns to wither.

Even efforts to consolidate administration — such as sharing superintendents or payroll systems — have met with strong resistance from some districts fearful of losing control.

But the reality is that most Kansas school districts have had declining enrollments in recent years. And there is a limit to how long the state can keep propping up some small districts and communities.

Census reapportionment of legislative seats has shifted some of the power in the Legislature from rural to urban and suburban lawmakers, which makes consolidation a bit more politically possible — though still a long shot.

The state's budget problems also may make lawmakers more open to consolidation, as evidenced by the House Appropriations Committee's review of the subject last month. The state had to cut funding for K-12 education this year, and likely will make more cuts later this year and next.

However, consolidation is unlikely to help much with the state's current budget shortfall, because it could take a while to implement. There also are practical limitations to consolidating some rural school districts, such as the amount of time students would have to spend on a school bus — though online and video courses are becoming more of an educational alternative.

Still, state government foots most of the bill for local schools and has a responsibility to spend tax dollars efficiently. And given that the economic rebound is likely to be slow, reforms approved this coming legislative session or the next could be helpful in aiding that long recovery.

But lawmakers and the public will have to agree to change how Kansas educates its children.

Good luck with that.

— For the editorial board, Phillip Brownlee

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