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The Education System Needs To Be Brought Into The 21st Century

Every school budget in The Post-Journal’s readership area was approved by voters two weeks ago.

That’s not a surprise. There wasn’t a case to be made against much of the local spending. As was reported two Sundays ago in The Post-Journal, increased state aid funding and the 2-percent tax cap mean tax levies have been kept low even as school districts struggle to balance their budgets.

Easy approval of local school budgets shouldn’t be taken as a sign that the status quo should be maintained forever.

We detailed two weeks ago how the total amount spent on school budgets countywide has increased 23.84 percent even as enrollment has decreased 11.75 percent. Because state aid has increase 41.31 percent over 10 years, local taxes have only grown 8.20 percent a year. That mollifies local taxpayers, but isn’t good state policy. Consider that in 2007-08, Chautauqua County schools spent $15,442 per pupil. In 2017-18, that number will jump to $21,670. Sooner or later, state lawmakers must come to the realization that state money isn’t unlimited when it comes to schools.

Some school districts have discovered for themselves that sharing is beneficial. Panama, Clymer and Sherman have been sharing some administrative positions for the last few years to free up money to be spent on students while Ripley and Chautuaqua Lake had long been partners even before they agreed to a tuitioning arrangement for Ripley’s high school students to attend Chautauqua Lake. Unfortunately, such examples are the exception to the rule.

It simply isn’t sustainable to continue spending more money to educate fewer children. Even worse, keeping the status quo means more limited class offerings for students. Often, the sake of students is justification for approving school budgets or increasing state aid. It can be argued that the state’s decision to enable school districts with large aid increases each year as districts shrink is hurting students by keeping them in schools that are a shell of what they used to be. Local taxpayers could take the matter into their own hands by voting down budgets or pushing harder for mergers.

If they don’t, however, it is up to the state to set a more effective statewide education policy. It is long past the time for the state to try lead local school districts to merge on their own. Begging and pleading, cajoling and browbeating haven’t worked in the past. It is time for the state Education Department to design an education system for the 21st century with fewer school districts, fewer levels of administration and, yes, fewer school buildings.

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