The initial steps taken this year by the communities of Clymer, Sherman and Panama toward a possible reorganization of the school districts has us thinking back to the last time we started this process.

Of course, the last reorganization attempt only involved Clymer and Panama, districts that at the time were sharing a superintendent, several sports teams along with Sherman and several office positions. If ever a reorganization made sense then, it was Clymer and Panama. If ever a reorganization makes sense now, it’s Clymer, Sherman and Panama.

As we look back on the 2017 merger and its failure, one of the things that sticks out with the benefit of hindsight is the role communication played in the process. Meetings dealing with the merger were well attended, but let’s not pretend that everyone in both communities was able to attend them either. Both districts and Erie-2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES put out tons of information in an effort to be as transparent as possible. But printed information alone doesn’t always help people understand complex information. So many facts and figures were being disseminated publicly that analysis and context was often lost. Those who weren’t at a particular meeting were left relying on what friends or neighbors relayed or what was being said in Facebook comments – again without context.

There is no way to control community rumor mills. And district officials shouldn’t waste their time trying to “control the message” or correct every rumor they hear. But we think one way to make sure as many members of the public have the information they need to make important decisions regarding their schools is to allow them to see these meetings even if they are unable to attend. It’s hard sometimes to be able to attend school board meetings between work schedules, children’s activities during the week and things that just happen in life. One way to make sure information is available to people is to make meetings where the potential reorganization is discussed available online, preferably on Youtube so those interested can see them when they’re available. There is no better way, in our opinion, for all three districts and community members interested in the process to be transparent. It isn’t a cure-all by any means, but we think having meeting videos available could be an important step toward helping inform all Clymer, Sherman and Panama residents about the decisions they are making.