Merger Study Elizabethtown-Lewis and Westport Central School - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Merger Study Elizabethtown-Lewis and Westport Central School Districts

Why Consider Reorganization? ❖ Increase course offerings for students ❖ Upgrade facilities and equipment ❖ More cost effective administrative structure ❖ Eliminate duplication of facilities, equipment, and staff ❖ Reduce taxes 2 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

Why Reorganization May be Difficult ❖ Fear of losing local identity ❖ Perception the communities are incompatible ❖ Uncertainty over board representation ❖ Less personal attention for students ❖ Busing time for some students may be increased ❖ Fear of losing job security by employees ❖ Natural resistance to change 3 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

The Merger Study Process Begins ❖ Both Boards of Education have passed a resolution to do a merger study with each other ❖ Advisory committee has been appointed ❖ Consulting firm has been engaged to conduct the study 4 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

Purpose of the Merger Study ❖ To paint a clear picture of each district so that its neighbor has a good understanding of the assets and liabilities it brings to the merger ❖ To develop a set of recommendations for the new board of education to consider regarding district organization, facilities, staffing, finances, transportation, and educational programming should a merger occur 5 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

The Merger Study ❖ Provides information for school district officials, the communities, and the Commissioner on enrollments, staffing, program, transportation, facilities, and finances ❖ Facilitated by consultants ❖ Overseen by school/community advisory committee of 20 people ❖ Report is the responsibility of the consultants ❖ Both Boards of Education decide how to proceed with the final study 6 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

Parameters for the Study Scope of the Study: Use data to provide objective information on: -Adding classes/reducing staff -Creating building configurations by grade level -Adding bus runs/drivers -Calculating potential staffing savings -Assessing financial impact of the merger Outside the Study Scope: Make decisions for the merged district: -Name, colors, or mascot for the new district -Identifying classes to be added/staff reduced -Developing bus routes with stops -Deciding when staff savings might be realized -Deciding how financial decisions will be made 7 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

The School/Community Advisory Committee ❖ 10 people from each school community ❖ 5 community members ❖ 2 teachers ❖ 1 building administrator ❖ 1 support staff ❖ 1 student ❖ Superintendents serve as resources to the committee ❖ Function is to advise the Boards and the consultants, and to communicate with the public 8 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

Expectations of Committee Members ❖ Attend all committee meetings ❖ Freely express their points of view ❖ Be a key communicator with stakeholder groups ❖ Be respectful of the committee and and the study process ❖ Be a positive contributing member in other related committee activities 9 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

The Consultants ❖ Bring an outside, unbiased perspective ❖ Have no local stake in the outcome ❖ Will conduct the study in a fair manner ❖ Will ensure that the process is open ❖ Will use 2016-17 and 2017-18 as the school years from which data will be used ❖ Will maintain contact with the State Education Department and the District Superintendent ❖ Will produce meeting notes after each committee meeting ❖ Will be responsible for the final report 10 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

Recommendations in the Report ❖ Will benefit student learning ❖ Will be sensitive to the unique cultural contexts of the school districts ❖ Will be independent of special interest groups ❖ Will be educationally sound ❖ Will be fiscally responsible and realistic ❖ Will not recommend whether or not a merger should occur 11 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

Common Reactions About the Study Process ❖ The consultants are here to sell a merger ❖ The consultants favor one district…..or the other ❖ This is all happening too quickly ❖ There is not enough information on which to make a decision ❖ The advisory committee meetings are too long…..or too short 12 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

Committee Meeting Schedule 
 (6:00 meetings; 5:15 tours in September & October) ❖ August 23-Overview & Enrollments (Westport) ❖ September 27-Program (E-L) ❖ October 25-Facilities (Westport) ❖ December 6-Transportation (E-L) ❖ January 24-Staffing (Westport) ❖ February 28-Finances (E-L) ❖ April 25-Review of Draft Report (Westport) 13 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

Time Line for the Study/Merger 
 (Draft) ❖ May 2017-Boards meet to begin study ❖ May 2018-Study completed ❖ June 2018-Study reviewed by S.E.D. ❖ August 2018-Study presented to Boards ❖ September 2018-Public information and discussion ❖ October 2018-Boards decide to go forth ❖ November 2018-Advisory referendum ❖ January 2019-Final referendum ❖ April 2019-Vote for new Board members ❖ May 2019-Budget vote ❖ July 1, 2019-New district begins operation 14 Castallo & Silky- Education Consultants

Informing the Public ❖ District newsletters ❖ Newspaper articles ❖ District web sites ❖ Notes from advisory committee meetings ❖ PowerPoint presentations from advisory committee meetings ❖ Open advisory committee meetings-for observation and limited comment only ❖ Joint press release announcing the study and the advisory committee 15 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

Enrollment History and Projections 16 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

Live Births by Table ?? Live Births 2002-2015 School District Year E-L Westport Total 2002 9 10 19 2003 19 13 32 2004 18 10 28 2005 15 9 24 2006 17 12 29 2007 21 9 30 2008 12 13 25 2009 21 8 29 2010 20 3 23 2011 16 8 24 2012 23 10 34 2013 16 10 26 2014 12 11 23 2015 18 10 28 17 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

Table ??: Elizabethtown-Lewis Enrollment History and Projections Grade 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 Birth 21 12 21 20 16 23 16 12 18 17 17 17 17 K 20 20 16 17 19 24 18 18 13 20 19 19 19 1 18 20 19 16 17 14 18 17 17 12 19 18 18 2 19 19 16 17 18 17 17 17 16 16 12 18 17 3 24 18 17 16 18 22 18 17 18 17 17 12 19 4 18 21 16 16 14 18 16 17 16 16 15 15 11 5 17 16 24 16 15 11 13 16 16 15 16 14 14 6 16 14 15 23 18 16 15 13 15 16 15 15 14 7 28 18 14 14 24 18 18 15 13 16 16 15 16 8 20 26 18 16 14 27 25 19 16 14 16 17 15 9 28 20 24 20 17 11 14 24 19 15 14 16 16 10 36 26 21 28 16 13 16 13 23 18 14 13 15 11 32 30 29 24 25 17 16 16 13 23 18 15 13 12 30 27 27 29 22 23 23 15 15 12 21 16 13 K-12 306 275 256 252 237 231 227 217 210 210 212 203 200 K-6 132 128 123 121 119 122 115 115 111 112 113 111 112 7-12 174 147 133 131 118 109 112 102 99 98 99 92 88 NOTES: From 2020-21 to 2023-24 births are the average of the previous five years. Consequently, from to 2020-21 to 2023-24 the early grades are quite speculative. 18 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants

Table ??: Westport Enrollment History and Projections Grade 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 Birth 9 13 8 3 8 10 10 11 10 10 10 10 10 K 17 10 20 12 13 13 20 20 22 20 20 20 20 1 15 17 16 22 10 18 14 24 24 26 24 24 24 2 16 14 12 14 24 11 21 13 23 23 25 23 23 3 23 15 14 12 17 25 15 22 14 23 23 26 23 4 13 23 16 15 12 19 13 15 23 15 25 25 27 5 16 13 24 17 15 17 17 14 17 25 16 27 27 6 17 17 14 25 17 15 18 17 14 17 26 17 28 7 19 18 16 15 24 19 26 18 18 15 18 27 17 8 23 19 15 16 15 22 14 24 17 17 14 17 25 9 18 24 18 14 16 17 16 14 25 17 17 14 17 10 23 15 21 17 15 16 13 15 14 23 16 16 13 11 11 19 17 22 18 13 17 13 15 13 23 16 16 12 21 10 20 14 20 19 21 16 12 14 13 22 15 K-12 232 214 223 215 216 224 225 225 238 248 260 274 275 K-6 117 109 116 117 108 118 118 125 137 149 159 162 172 7-12 115 105 107 98 108 106 107 100 101 99 101 112 103 NOTES: From 2020-21 to 2023-24 births are the average of the previous five years. Consequently, from to 2020-21 to 2023-24 the early grades are quite speculative. 19 Castallo & Silky LLC- Education Consultants