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Marriage of convenience in O’Fallon schools

By The Editorial Board
O’Fallon students start out in three separate school districts before they end up here, graduating from a fourth. Consolidating the four into one would save money for taxpayers and more successfully get students to this point.
O’Fallon students start out in three separate school districts before they end up here, graduating from a fourth. Consolidating the four into one would save money for taxpayers and more successfully get students to this point. mhodapp@bnd.com Mark Hodapp

Three years ago O’Fallon Elementary District 90 sent letters to its two neighboring elementary districts and the high school district into which all three feed. Nothing happened.

Now the school district, with a little prompting from parents and taxpayers, is considering asking again. Nothing will happen again, and here’s why.

If you are in the other three districts, you have to ask this would-be suitor: What are you bringing to this marriage? District 90 is the poor cousin, struggling to make ends meet and unable to provide facilities or staff to give students a decent P.E. class. You know what happens when cousins marry.

So there is a good idea here, but just asking wasn’t enough and will not be enough to overcome the self interest. There needs to be a matchmaker with the cash and influence to create a will for four smaller districts to merge into one.

Logic is on the side of consolidation. One superintendent is cheaper than four. Centralized purchasing, employee negotiations, transportation and facilities management will save money as duplication is eliminated and the ability to shift resources — whether classes or staff or cash —is increased. Then there are the cash incentives for consolidating being offered by the state in this state of 6,963 government units.

The bottom line is that consolidation will save property taxes and put more resources towards educating youngsters.

Building the political will to put kids and taxpayers ahead of self-interest or local identity or inertia is no simple thing. It will take great pressure from residents and political leaders over an extended period of time.

Moreover, there needs to be a St. Clair County consolidation study to turn its 28 public school districts into something more like Madison County with its 13 unit districts.

A letter in O’Fallon didn’t do it last time, and it won’t do it this time, but everyone appreciates the overture.

This story was originally published August 20, 2016 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Marriage of convenience in O’Fallon schools."

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