Consolidation not an easy fix

School consolidation periodically surfaces as a potential cost-saving panacea — and it no doubt will be part of the debate as Montana works to address a mounting budget problem.

Flathead County, with the most school districts of any county in Montana, usually is part of any consolidation discussion.

Consolidation is nothing new for Flathead schools. The county used to have nearly 100 individual school districts, a list that has been pared to 23 districts today.

West Valley, for example, is the result of the 1962 consolidation of the Spring Creek, Sparks, Stillwater and Prospect Park districts.

And there have been considerable efforts at consolidation within districts as well, resulting in some school closures. Not too long ago, Columbia Falls School District 6 operated schools in Essex, Apgar, West Glacier, Lake Five, Nyack, Paola, Summit, Coram, Martin City and Hungry Horse. Now there’s just one school in Hungry Horse, and that school, because of a budget shortfall, may be closed and consolidated with Columbia Falls schools.

But 23 districts (and 55 administrators) in Flathead County still are too many in the minds of some proponents of consolidation. They’ve argued that administrative costs along with contracting for services and supplies would be more efficient with fewer districts.

If it only came down to money, then it might make sense to make Flathead County a single massive, 13,000-student school district with one superintendent and school board, as at least one local legislator has suggested.

But one has to consider what the educational and community fallout would be from such a move.

Any efforts at consolidation would need to account for the importance of small schools, from Kila to West Glacier. These schools aren’t just buildings to house the kids — they are cornerstones for their communities, and residents fiercely embrace the local connection and control they enjoy.

And consolidation done without enough forethought can end up costing more than it saves. When Missoula took over surrounding independent school districts — a move to save money by eliminating administrators — it cost the district an extra $1 million a year for several years to increase teachers’ pay.

Such a situation easily could play out here if any of our rural schools were to join a bigger district such as Kalispell.

A recent proposal to consolidate the county Superintendent of Schools office with the county Treasurer’s Office didn’t get much traction — partly because it was too hasty a move and partly because it doesn’t really address the concerns of those who maintain that we have too many school districts.

All that being said, enrollment declines and budgetary pressures may force the issue of consolidation to become a necessity at some point in the Flathead Valley.

If it comes to that, we all need to make sure consolidation is in the best interests of districts, students, taxpayers and the community.