Schools Bigger Isn't Better

There's been a lot of smoke being blown around here about consolidating the Allentown School District with others in some form or another. As if that would solve our budget woes. Here's a look at just four other cities who's school districts' have been consolidated years ago.

06/16/2013-- Philadelphia
"Under a draconian budget passed by the Philadelphia School District last month, none of these supporting players — aide, counselor, secretary, security monitor — will remain at the school by September,... Pink slips were recently sent to 19 percent of the school-based work force, including all 127 assistant principals, 646 teachers and more than 1,200 aides."

04/03/2013-- New York City I
"80 percent of New York public school graduates who enrolled in City University of New York community colleges last fall still needed high school level instruction—also known as remediation—in reading, writing, and especially math... "

06/05/2013-- New York City II
"The administration plans to spend nearly $25 billion on education -- the largest investment ever made in New York City public schools." That comes even as the city lost $250 million in state aid because of the dispute over teacher evaluations..."

08/01/2013-- Los Angeles
"Los Angeles, again, is a good example; the same school district that is going to spend a half-billion dollars on iPads has been laying off teachers. To justify those layoffs, the school districts have been citing a $543 million district budget shortfall, yet somehow, those same officials apparently don’t cite that same budget shortfall as a reason to avoid spending $500 million on iPads."

07/24/2013-- Chicago
"Chicago Public Schools will drain nearly $700 million in reserves, raise its share of the Cook County property tax as much as possible and make cuts that include $68 million from the classroom to close its $1 billion deficit, according to a $5.58 billion preliminary budget."


COMMENTARYI could have cited dozens of others which reflect much the same. in nearly every part of the United States. The problems are the same no matter how many consolidations or how large a school district becomes. It should be obvious based on these others that have already gone that route, "Bigger Isn't Better".

So What Are Some Of The Solutions?
Schools have drifted away from teaching the fundamentals. Schools have taken on larger roles like feeding their students, day care for teenage mothers, sports, arts, various community/social programs and so forth. In other words have gone beyond their mission which use to be teaching the basics like reading, writing, arithmetic and history.

Another issue has been the amount of administrators assigned to seek out federal and state funding along with the requirements that are needed once they get that funding.

Then there's the constant in-class administrative evaluations of teachers by looking over their shoulders constantly. Does not student test results indicate when individual teachers are getting the job done? Why is there a further need for administrators to apply pressure to both teachers and students by sitting in the back of classrooms?

In the 60's William Allen had one principle. One assistant principle and 3 councilors and still managed to achieve better results. Triple their number today along with outrageous salaries.

In A Nutshell
We've over complicated things more then they need be. The role for schools should be to educate students. Not oversee students and parents social needs. Nor create a one size fits all that teachers need to follow to the letter. We need to trust teachers in what ever approach they take and evaluate them based on the results in good test scores no matter the method they use.

Teacher layoffs should be based on student performance, not seniority nor threats by teacher unions to do otherwise. He who pays the checks is the boss in any other line of work. It's not being anti-union to expect job performance to be key in retention of one's job.

Unless we make these kind of changes no amount of consolidation is going to fix any of our problems. We can throw 10's the money or consolidate till all the school districts in Pennsylvania are one, but it will solve nothing.

Bigger isn't better. Never was. Never will be.

If it were possible Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and Philadelphia would have model schools. Indeed if bigger were always better Jupiter would be a great planet to live on..