Work on a merger feasibility study continues for the Clymer, Sherman, Panama school districts, as the three districts released a tentative timeline for the merger process last week.

The process began following a vote back in May from each district’s communities to pursue a feasibility study. Since then a joint board meeting has been held in August where the three boards agreed to move forward with a Request For Proposals for the study.

“It just means that we’re going to work on gathering up proposals, approaching teams that could potentially do this work in New York state and then coming up with some bids and presentations for the boards to consider,” District Superintendent David O’Rourke said during the August joint board meeting. “And then at that point, the board would have a second decision about whether and to whom to award this bid to help move the study forward.”

The tentative timeline for the continuation of the merger study was posted to each school’s Facebook page on Friday, outlining how the rest of the merger study is currently set to go. The timeline is as follows:

On Sept. 3 the Superintendents and Board Presidents reviewed the draft RFP and timeline. On Sept. 15 a Request For Proposals for Reorganization Feasibility Study was issued. The deadline for these proposals to be returned is Oct. 17, with the RFPs set to be reviewed on Oct. 29. Another joint board meeting with presentations by the final consultants will be held on Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. at the BOCES Hewes Educational Center.

Following that meeting, BOCES will approve the bid at the BOCES board meeting on Dec. 10 and firms will be notified in mid-December. Moving into 2026 the feasibility study contract start date is Jan. 1, with the tentative date that the feasibility study work will end being May 15, 2026. By mid-June a final draft of the study will be presented to the boards in another joint meeting. At their own individual meetings in July the boards will resolve to continue the process, with public meetings and informational sessions to be held throughout July to October 2026.

A straw vote or petition in each district to gauge public support will be held in October 2026 with additional public meetings and informational sessions throughout October and November 2026. A statutory vote to reorganize will be held in December 2026.

The earliest time a new district can begin operating is July 1, 2027. The three districts noted that this calendar will be updated as the project requires.