CANAJOHARIE -- The advisory committee guiding the merger feasibility study for the Canajoharie and Fort Plain school districts has wrapped up its work with the final report to be released next month.
The report won't provide an actual recommendation, but instead will lay out the opportunities and challenges of a potential merger for the consideration of the boards of education of both districts before they decide whether to pursue consolidation subject to an eventual public vote.
Still, community members and faculty serving on the advisory committee generally seemed supportive of a potential merger while reviewing details in a partial draft report at their final meeting at Canajoharie High School on Thursday.
"I can't see anything but a benefit long term, especially with the idea of just simply getting all of our communities to work more closely together, because we can't compete with larger areas unless we all take the leap of faith," said Edward Watt, a committee member and teacher for Canajoharie.
The draft merger feasibility study led by consultants from Leadership Solutions Advisers has found merging could expand resources and opportunities for students, create a larger tax base, increase building aid and eliminate staffing issues for the competing districts amidst labor shortages.
There would also be the challenges of aligning school cultures, curriculum, programs, academic interventions, class sizes, schedules and codes of conduct. Decisions about staffing, bus routes and other operational matters couldn't be decided until a referendum is passed and a new Board of Education is subsequently elected and appoints a superintendent.
Karlene Peck, a Canajoharie parent, acknowledged not having the exact details of how a merged district would operate could make it a difficult decision.
"There's certain things I want to know and I know that we don't know the answers," Peck said.
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Consultants highlighted the need to be transparent about being unable to make certain decisions until and unless voters approve a merger.
They added that the feasibility study can serve as a roadmap for some of those decisions that would ultimately be made by community members with support from a transition team and the superintendent selected by school board members to carry out that mission. Input from the community and students was sought through the study process.
"That new set superintendent, if they say yes to the job, has a vested interest in representing the community and surviving past the first month," said Matt Cole, a member of the consulting team and the founder and CEO of New Ground Learning.
Furthermore, officials noted, although the financial positions of both districts are currently sound, expenses are expected to outpace revenues over time.
A merged district would receive combined total of approximately $51.7 million in additional state aid over the next 14 years to ensure the reorganization is successful.
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David Ziskin, district superintendent for HFM BOCES, noted many merging districts need to use that aid to rebalance their tax rates. That wouldn't be the case for Canajoharie and Fort Plain, so the merged district could instead invest the funding in improvements or long-term plans.
"In many cases, when school districts consider mergers, it's because one may be failing or need something more than the other. You've got some forward looking leadership that says, should we consider this? And you're also starting from a different vantage point than most consolidation studies, because it's very rare to have tax rates within 20 cents of one another," Ziskin said.
The districts are already sharing some sports and drama programs, which will likely expand into other areas in the coming years amidst issues like hiring challenges, Cole added.
"You all are going to share more, and it'd be a real shame not to get the money," Cole said.
It's a potentially persuasive argument, Peck and other committee members agreed.
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Although it will be up to school boards and then potentially voters, Canajoharie Superintendent Nick Fitzgerald favors a merger, citing the financial and hiring and recruitment challenges facing the rural districts, as well as the potential opportunities to expand and enhance programs for students.
"I understand everyone's plight in terms of the unknown and it's tough for all of us not knowing what this would exactly look like today, but the great thing is we have the power in both communities to mold that through committees, electing Board of Education members, putting a superintendent in they know and trust. Those types of things these communities have control of, so they can help mold a district that could be the best out there," Fitzgerald said.
The final report on the merger feasibility study is expected to be publicly released on Jan. 6 pending review by the state Education Department. It will be presented at a joint meeting of the school boards for both districts at Canajoharie Central School District at 6 p.m. on Jan 16.
The boards will meet again to discuss recommendations and potential next steps at Fort Plain Central School District at 6 p.m. on Jan. 22.
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