Do We Need Countywide School Districts In Ohio?

By Bruce Kettelle

For ten years I have been screaming why do we have 17 school districts in Montgomery County Ohio? It is not because I think we need more districts, it is because I think 17 is way too many. In fact I am begging for someone, anyone, in Columbus to listen to my plea for just one district to cover the entire county.

And not just for Montgomery. Ohio has 614 school districts. If they are combined we could have just 88, one for each county in the state.

There are good reasons to take a closer look at this proposal including cost savings and better education opportunities for everyone.

Cost savings will come from transportation and administrative budgets. No longer will there be 17 accounts payable departments, 17 payroll departments, or 17 superintendents. Bus transportation decisions will be able to include routes that cross the old boundary lines and provide streamlining that will reduce busses, drivers, and maintenance costs.

Schools will be able to work together to provide more advanced programs and new subjects that were not warranted by the smaller demand of the lesser districts.

We're not talking about closing schools or even changing exiting attendance zones. As one big district there will still be all the same elementary, middle and high schools with their own identities and sports rivalries.

Ohio is late to the game on district consolidations. Since 1950 there were 83,641 school districts in the US, regions and states have been trending towards fewer and larger districts. By 1980 there were just 15, 986.

Countywide school districts are already in place in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Other states have combined districts in different ways. And recent studies show that average achievement scores are higher in larger districts.

Under a countywide system there would be one countywide millage rate for property taxes. The one rate system would be less confusing for homeowners shopping for a house and help provide a more level playing field for economic development specialists trying to attract new business. The distribution of those revenues would also help districts respond to the state Supreme Court ruling concerning the current unconstitutional funding formula.

Another benefit statewide is to provide a first introduction of the effectiveness of regional government to Ohioans grappling with combining other services. In Montgomery we are trying a countywide emergency dispatch system and leaders are dialoguing about other combined services.

Countywide school districts will work for Ohio. Will you be an advocate for them?