Poll finds opposition to merging small school districts

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By WSBT 24/7 News

Story Created: Jan 8, 2009 at 3:36 AM EST

Story Updated: Jan 8, 2009 at 3:36 AM EST

A new Indiana University poll found most people oppose combining some small school districts' central offices with others as advocated by Gov. Mitch Daniels, even though they see some possible benefits from the move.

The idea is one of the government reforms endorsed by Daniels after they were suggested last year by a blue-ribbon state panel led by former Gov. Joe Kernan and Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard.

Under the proposal, school districts with less than 1,000 students would have to combine their central operations with another district unless they are already part of a countywide district.

Locally, several school districts may be affected if the proposed reform were enacted.

Fulton County

  • Caston School Corp. in Fulton; 2009-09 enrollment: 785

    Marshall County

  • Argos Community Schools; 2008-09 enrollment: 659

    LaPorte County

  • Cass Township Schools in LaPorte; 2008-09 enrollment: 247
  • Dewey Township Schools in LaPorte; 2008-09 enrollment: 168
  • MDS of New Durham Township in Westville; 2008-09 enrollment: 895
  • South Central Community School Corp. in Union Mills; 2008-09 enrollment: 855

    Pulaski County

  • West Central School Corp. in Francesville; 2008-09 enrollment: 894

    Starke County

  • Oregon-Davis School Corp. in Hamlet; 2008-09 enrollment: 722

    An annual survey released Wednesday by IU's Center for Evaluation and Education Policy found 66 percent of respondents said they would oppose combining their school district with another one.

    However, sizable percentages saw possible benefits from merging district operations:

  • Fifty percent agreed combining districts would expand learning opportunities for students;

  • Forty-nine percent said it would save tax dollars; and

  • Forty-five percent agreed it would enhance student achievement.

    The phone survey of 612 randomly selected Indiana residents was conducted in November for IU by market research company Stone Research Services and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points. It was the sixth year the school has surveyed attitudes toward education in the state.

    Terry Spradlin, one of the study's co-authors, said that the low levels of support the survey found for school organization changes put the burden on Daniels and other advocates to convince the public.

    "I'm not surprised by these numbers," Spradlin said. "Citizens associate closely with their school districts, especially in small-town rural Indiana."

    Associated Press contributed to this story.

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