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Clymer, Panama Merger Revisited

Well over a year ago, an attempt to consolidate the Panama and Clymer school districts failed. By law, the districts are required to wait a year and one day until they can revisit a potential merger. But for Clymer, Superintendent Ed Bailey said it might be premature to consider a second vote.

“Given that the wounds of the last (merger study) have not all healed yet, it’s a bit early,” Bailey told The Post-Journal.

After a long feasibility study within both communities, residents took to the voting booths in November 2017 with Panama voting in favor of the merger, 192-168, and Clymer against, by way of a whopping 654-186 vote on Nov. 16, 2017.

Bailey said the potential merger between the two districts was incorrectly viewed as the “financial answer.” Following the results, the district was tasked with creating a budget for a small school that was no longer in talks for combining districts. Formerly shared superintendent of both districts Bert Lictus resigned from his post at Clymer early in 2018 and Bailey, former Clymer principal, was tasked with filling that position.

See MERGER, Page A3

From Page A1

“As you’re aware during the course of last year Clymer Central School has engaged in a detailed fact finding process to look at how we could move forward in today’s competitive educational landscape,” Lictus said to board member during a Nov. 26, 2017 meeting in Clymer. “Most are aware that I supported and believed that centralization would be in the best interest of Clymer Central School and the students it serves. It was made abundantly clear that the community and the board of education may not agree with my vision for this district.

“Therefore, it is with heavy heart that I read this letter,” Lictus said at the time announcing his intention to resign in 2018. “I believe it is in the best interest of the school and the Clymer community that I no longer lead the district as it moves forward. I’m requesting the cancellation of the municipal agreement allowing the sharing of the school superintendent between Clymer Central School and Panama Central School to be effective at the end of business, Feb. 2, 2018. I want to thank the board of education and the Clymer community for giving me this wonderful opportunity to serve the students and families of Clymer Central School, respectfully submitted, Bert Lictus.”

At one point leading up to the straw vote in November 2017, Lictus was forced to notify the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office when numerous anti-merger signs were placed in his yard over night.

Lictus returned to his sole role as the Panama Central School District superintendent where he continues his obligations now. Lictus said while the Panama School Board of Education would at least consider any merger with a neighboring school district, his district is moving forward as a lone entity.

“At this point in time, (the) Panama (Central School District) is moving forward planning our kids educational futures here in Panama,” Lictus told The Post-Journal during a recent interview.

For Lictus, shared superintendent of both districts during merger talks, the potential consolidation was more than addressing financial concerns. Lictus said the combining of school districts would have created more opportunities for programs in the district.

“If you have more students, it offers more opportunities for much more diverse sets of programs and electives that would offer nothing else but help the students,” Lictus said.

Months after the vote failed, both districts were tasked with proposing school budgets for the 2018-19 school year. Panama proposed a 2018-19 school budget of $13,876,301. Voters approved the budget with 125 in favor and 10 against.

But in Clymer, the results were less favorable.

The 2018-19 school budget vote in May that proposed a 13 percent tax levy increase exceeding the tax cap that required a super majority approval rating of 60 percent was voted down by the public. The first vote failed to receive a 60 percent approval with district residents voting 238 to 237. Upon the revote in June, the board proposed a school budget with a flat tax levy that district residents approved by a vote of 325 to 111.

The total budget remained the same as the previous proposal at $11,561,554, but the new proposed tax levy of $4,283,832 was decreased by $357,192, the initial amount over the state-allowed tax cap of 4 percent. The total budget is up 2.4 percent from the 2017-18 school year.

Both schools have recently began looking at the 2019-20 school budgets. While being very early in the budget season, Bailey recently said Clymer is eyeing another proposed school budget featuring a tax levy increase above the estimated tax cap which would require another super majority approval rating.

David O’Rourke, superintendent of Erie-2 BOCES who was heavily involved in the merger study, confirmed the two districts were legally able to revisit a consolidation. The two districts could even use the same merger study even though some of the financial outlooks would look different now a year later. The study would be updated to reflect current numbers.

O’Rourke has not heard of any interest from either boards, but remained concerned about financial outlooks for the future.

“School governance teams may face the difficult circumstance of their communities not wanting to change the structure of their schools and also not wanting to support the resources necessary to sustain their schools and sustain the current level for programming for students,” O’Rourke said. “My concern is, ‘what happens with student programming in this circumstance?'”

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