Shelly O’Boyle, Clymer-Sherman-Panama merger study project coordinator, right, speaks at the Chautauqua County Legislature meeting in March. She was joined by representatives from all three school districts as she asked for $100,000 from the county to help the merger process. The request was approved by county officials. P-J file photo by Gregory Bacon

The merger feasibility study process is continuing on for Clymer, Sherman and Panama schools, and an update for where the process currently stands was provided via a Facebook post on all three schools’ pages on Thursday night.

The post, written by Project Coordinator Shelly O’Boyle, states that as the schools continue their collaborative work of exploring a merger, they wanted to provide an update on their “commitment to a transparent, data-driven, and legally compliant process.”

The first section of O’Boyle’s message, written on behalf of Clymer School Board President Ed Mulkearn, Sherman School Board President Teresa Guzman, and Panama School Board President Carrie Munsee, focuses on their commitment to transparency in the study process.

“The integrity of this feasibility study relies on the trust of our communities,” O’Boyle said. “All CSP meetings and data-collection phases are conducted following New York state protocol. To ensure every resident has access to the same information, we have centralized all documents, meeting minutes, and timelines at csphub.org.”

The post also acknowledges that questions have been asked about how the three boards are interacting during this study process. O’Boyle said it is standard and necessary for board leadership from each district to coordinate on data logistics and then report to their full boards.

“No final decisions or formal board actions occur outside of the public eye,” O’Boyle said. “All official recommendations will and have been presented in open forums for community review.”

As far as the study’s next steps go, O’Boyle said the administrative leadership teams and external consultants remain focused on their primary objective to determine if a merger provides better educational opportunities for students and long-term fiscal stability for taxpayers.

“We thank our staff and community members for their continued engagement,” O’Boyle said. “We encourage everyone to visit CSPhub.org for the most recent data and to submit questions through our official email.”

O’Boyle also invited the community to come out to the next scheduled joint school board meeting for the study, set to take place on June 16 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium of Panama Central School. White and Partners will be presenting the results of the study at this meeting and providing their recommendations.