By: Dr. Darron Arlt - PHS Superintendent
Among the increasing conversations about our school facility study and potential solutions is the question…” Why don’t we just consolidate with Osmond so they can help pay for it?”
This seems like a logical question since we have entered into an activity cooperation that does bind us closer together. Just for clarification, a cooperation is a simple sharing of activity athletes, coaches, schedules, revenues, and expenses. It provides more opportunities for kids, makes your programs more viable, and decreases expenses. A school consolidation, on the other hand, is the dissolution (no longer exists) of two or more schools to become one brand new school district.
A primary benefit of this is combining their property valuations which generally leads to meaningful tax relief for both sets of stakeholders.
It is general practice for school districts that consolidate to maintain their elementary school in their community and merge their high school students into one building in one of the communities. This is often the toughest decision. Which town will be home to the high school? For obvious reasons, this is why more school districts don’t consolidate…no town wants to lose their high school.
Back to the question in the opening sentence, for us to consolidate with Osmond and expect them to help pay for a significant facility investment, they would have to make two decisions, one of which would have a slim chance and the other slim to no chance.
First, they would have to say ‘yes’ to closing their high school. Then they would have to say ‘yes’ to raising their taxes to pay for new school facilities in Plainview. I think we could ask ourselves…”Would we say yes to either one of those?” Of course we wouldn’t, so we need to dismiss the idea that Osmond stakeholders are in any way going to be part of our facility solution.
This is our responsibility…for our students and the future of Plainview Public Schools and the community of Plainview. Among all the other obvious benefits, this will secure for another 100 years having a high school in Plainview. Now, within that 100 years, and quite likely well before then, I would predict that we will consolidate with a neighboring school…or 2.
If we still are funding schools through a property tax levy formula, then indeed the valuation of multiple school districts will drive down the general levy significantly. I think it’s likely that could happen during the term of any 20-30 year bond issue.
I don't know what the history and circumstances were 50+ years ago in Iowa when so many school districts consolidated across that state. Coincidentally, my first teaching job was in Orange City, Iowa at Maurice-Orange City/Floyd Valley Public Schools. Six towns together in one nice school in Orange City. Iowa has so many small towns so close together that school consolidation was more logical than it is in Nebraska where towns tend to be much further apart.
Plainview’s location does lend itself to possible school consolidation at some point however. I don’t expect at all for the government to force school districts to combine. They may incentivize us in some way but I fully expect any school consolidation to continue to be a local decision by school districts.
Our community focus group will gather with the full board again on Monday night at 6:00 in the Elementary MP room for round two of priority talks. Community patrons are welcome to observe the committee during these discussions and then at the end of the meeting, we will welcome open dialog/comment from the public. This is a prime opportunity for stakeholder engagement and we welcome your input and opinion.