Residents of the Frewsburg and Southwestern school districts learned this week about talks between the districts to share sports teams.

Shared teams aren’t new. They’re been a growing part of the interscholastic sports landscape both in Chautauqua County and the rest of the state for years. But what’s being considered at Frewsburg and Southwestern is different. Rather than sharing a team or two, the districts are talking about a large-scale sharing of sports that would formally include several teams in all three high school sports seasons.

Southwestern has lost 7.7% of its student population over the past 10 years while Frewsburg has lost 11.9% of its students. Similar declines are happening in rural areas throughout the state. Census Bureau reports don’t show the trend of population decline getting better anytime soon.

Our county’s declining population likely means the discussions between Southwestern and Frewsburg are going to be the first in a series of such proposals, not the last. The timelines to field teams are such that it will be easier to be proactive with partnerships than trying to arrange them at the last minute. And, the partnerships can bring on-field success – look no further than the Clymer/Sherman/Panama football team for proof.

We see more sharing amongst schools now than ever before. It’s an encouraging sign that a majority of schools are being proactive dealing with the budget and staffing issues caused by our region’s declining population. It’s time, in our opinion, for these talks to start including the most important part of schools. We’re talking, of course, about classrooms. As rural schools struggle to maintain course offerings and electives we need to be just as proactive in securing access to academics during school hours as we spend making sure there is access to sports teams after school.

It’s worth noting the school board in neighboring Warren County in Pennsylvania made a difficult decision to send students from Sheffield High School, a smaller, rural school, to Warren Area High School this year for core courses. Students in Sheffield would spend part of the day in Sheffield, part of the day in Warren and then end the day in Sheffield. It’s not ideal, and it’s not the education we are all used to, but the system did ensure Sheffield students had access to courses they otherwise couldn’t have taken.

Warren County’s decision was driven by many of the same factors we face in Chautauqua County – declining population, an inability of rural schools to provide elective courses. The root causes are the same. Our response, to this point, is not.

Shared sports teams are opening lines of communication between school districts that weren’t necessary decades ago. Those open lines of communication should be used on talks that will open up student opportunities from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. as well as after school hours.