School consolidation

The news that Lyons-Decatur, Oakland-Craig and Tekamah-Herman are talking about merging into a Burt County school has been the topic of conversation this week. As populations in rural communities decrease, consolidations occur. Bancroft and Rosalie merged in 1982. We no longer play our old rivals Beemer, Coleridge, and Newcastle. Community members will remember that Pender and Bancroft-Rosalie voted on a merger in 1995, and that failed merger led to the closing of old buildings and the passing of bonds for the construction of new facilities by both districts. I researched school consolidations in Nebraska as part of my University of Nebraska Specialists Degree program in 1992. Low student numbers and school facility needs are reasons that were typically given by recently merged K-12 school districts in a survey I conducted. Merged schools reported that increased courses offerings for students and a wider variety of school sports, clubs, and organizations were benefits of their consolidations. Mergers occur in two ways- 1) one school absorbs the other school and the dominant school colors and mascots are kept, or 2) two schools join and become a new entity with new colors and mascot. The downside is the possible economic impact on communities that lose part or all of their school. Where do students fill up with gas or get pop and snacks on their way to school? Where do people stop to eat and drink after school events? These things impact businesses in the effected communities. Families make decisions about where to live based in part on the education provided by the local schools.One question my research could not answer- Did the loss of their school/high school cause the town to decline, or did the decline of the town lead to the loss of the school/high school? The only thing I could conclude was that small towns need to be grow and attract new families if they want to keep a hometown school. Doing nothing is a bad long-term plan. A quote in a local paper stated that Bancroft-Rosalie could gain some option enrollment students if the Burt County schools merger goes through. Bancroft-Rosalie has excellent school facilities and educational programs and we have room for more students. It would be nice if we had better housing options for young families so they could choose to live here as well as go to school here.