The rumors were flying fast and furious in advance of last week’s Bemus Point and Chautauqua Lake school board meetings taking place on opposite shores of Chautauqua Lake.

Public meeting notices were pretty clear what would be taking place – one district’s superintendent was leaving, and the school boards were interested in a shared services agreement to share the position. But that didn’t stop the public rumor mill from running rampant that the districts were looking at a tuitioning agreement from Bemus Point to Chautauqua Lake or a complete merger of the districts. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth – but the rumors were public enough that Lauren Ryan, Bemus Point Central School board president, felt the need to address them during last week’s special Bemus Point school board meeting during which the board approved hiring Liddell to replace Joe Reyda.

Such rumors aren’t necessarily surprising, but they do hint at a problem we still need to overcome – fear of making major changes to the way we provide services, whether it’s education or other layers of government. On its face, making Josh Liddell the superintendent for Chautauqua Lake and Maple Grove is an absolute no-brainer. Liddell has deep roots in both districts – first as an Ellery native and Maple Grove High School graduate who came back to the area after college and put together a distinguished career at Chautauqua Lake Central School. That background should buy Liddell some trust from both communities. We have no doubt that Liddell will succeed in this endeavor just as he has succeeded at each step in his career. It will be a challenge, we’re sure, but not an insurmountable one.

Sharing the superintendent’s position allows each district to save money that can be put back into classroom resources, while Ryan said during the Bemus Point school board meeting last week that the schools will explore collaborative opportunities and specialized services that can be expanded by sharing a superintendent.

This agreement is a win-win for both sides – but only if residents of both communities maintain an open mind. In our opinion, both the shared superintendency and further potential collaboration are doomed to failure if the rumor mill jumps immediately to closing a school every time a position is shared.

Even schools with deep pockets like Bemus Point and Chautauqua Lake have to be smart with their money. Even districts that perform well academically – as both Bemus Point and Chautauqua Lake do – have to spend every available dollar in the classroom if they want to continue preparing students for a career or for college. In this day and age, cost savings are going to come from sharing as many staff members as districts can share.

Agreements like the one Chautauqua Lake and Bemus Point entered into last week need to be the rule, not the exception.