Challenge West Virginia

By Matthew Edwards

On Oct. 24, the citizens of Fayette County will be given the opportunity to vote on the school consolidation bond and, thereby, determine the educational future of our students and the future of our school system.

Passage of the bond would result in the consolidation of four high schools — Collins, Fayetteville, Meadow Bridge and Mount Hope.

Members of the Fayette County Board of Education have already given their vote of approval, 3-2, to the consolidation bond. David Arritt, president of the board, and Steven Bush account for the two votes against the consolidation. Leon Ivey, Leon Newman and James Workman voted for it.

I will be joining President Arritt and Mr. Bush with my no vote on Oct. 24.

My 14 years in serving as superintendent of Fayette County schools affirms my contention that a large body of research in the affective and social realms overwhelmingly affirms the superiority of the small school. Decades of research show that student achievement in small schools is at least equal — and often superior — to achievements in larger schools. Moreover, although it is often assumed that large schools are cheaper to operate and provide richer curricula than small schools, studies show that neither of these things is necessarily true. Students participate in extracurricular activities at significantly higher levels in small schools than in large ones.

The social research all points to the same conclusion: Small schools have far fewer behavior probems than large schools.

Conclusively, research states:

“Although the professional literature supports educating children in small schools, the consolidation trend continues to create large schools. This is because factors other than results — political, economic, social and demographic factors — typically drive decisions about school size. While such a trend would be difficult to reverse, the research indicates that it would be well worth the effort.”

In all sincerity and with concern, I ask you, “Will we have to travel that difficult road of reversal from large to small schools in the future?”

If so, during the transition period, how many of our students will have been forced to face failures due to the bad decisions and actions that we could be making today?

Each and every one of us has the opportunity and obligation to thoroughly study this consolidation issue and to present an educated vote on Oct. 24.

Edwards is a former superintendent of Fayette County schools.

-READ MORE STORIES BY CLICKING THE ARCHIVES TAB ON THE www.challengewv.org HOMEPAGE-