Imagine when the day comes...

[BigChuck]

Imagine when the day comes that the Ohio Department of Education forces the southern rural counties to consolidate! People will eat each other alive... You've got the Gallia County people arguing amongst themselves, the folks from the schools in Scioto counties can't get along and every school in Lawrence county detests Ironton! lol If and when it ever happens there is liable to be civil wars!!! But Hey...at least the alleged "poaching" will stop.

[FANOSPORTS]

Imagine when the day comes that the Ohio Department of Education forces the southern rural counties to consolidate! People will eat each other alive... You've got the Gallia County people arguing amongst themselves, the folks from the schools in Scioto counties can't get along and every school in Lawrence county detests Ironton! lol If and when it ever happens there is liable to be civil wars!!! But Hey...at least the alleged "poaching" will stop.

The saddest part of it all is you start losing your community identity and something all can gather around and then slowly, slowly these areas and small villages or towns start going backwards with all businesses and such disappearing. In a lot of these places the schools were what held communities together and in the end you become just a road sign on the highway at the intersection of nowhere. Personally over the decades i've seen it happen in Meigs, Hocking, Gallia and Athens counties and it wasn't good. The only place I think it improved or didn't hurt eventually was the Nelsonville-York area where Buchtel-York combined with them and they were so close anyway in one small area it was a win-win IMO.

[efarns]

Imagine when the day comes that the Ohio Department of Education forces the southern rural counties to consolidate! People will eat each other alive... You've got the Gallia County people arguing amongst themselves, the folks from the schools in Scioto counties can't get along and every school in Lawrence county detests Ironton! lol If and when it ever happens there is liable to be civil wars!!! But Hey...at least the alleged "poaching" will stop.

The saddest part of it all is you start losing your community identity and something all can gather around and then slowly, slowly these areas and small villages or towns start going backwards with all businesses and such disappearing. In a lot of these places the schools were what held communities together and in the end you become just a road sign on the highway at the intersection of nowhere. Personally over the decades i've seen it happen in Meigs, Hocking, Gallia and Athens counties and it wasn't good. The only place I think it improved or didn't hurt eventually was the Nelsonville-York area where Buchtel-York combined with them and they were so close anyway in one small area it was a win-win IMO.

Times, they are a- changing. Those communities are dying out anyway. Nobody likes change- especially people in Appalachia. Fort Frye High School is not in my hometown, but I was proud to go there. Some of the oldtimers still resented moving the high school 30 years after it happened, but the towns involved have not been hurt by that consolidation.

[Raider6309]

There are a bunch of schools that probably should consolidate

[RollCoal]

Geographically, Coal Grove borders every district in Lawrence county except Fairland. If it were ever to happen here, it would almost have to be split into an east/west type of alignment. If not, there would be some LONG bus rides for students to get to and from school. I drive for the Grove. We have some long routes due to being mainly rural. Number wise, we have 600 students enrolled in kindergarten- 5th grade. Another thing to consider is, most of the districts in the county have newer buildings. I’m not sure the tax payers would be thrilled with a consolidation.

[Raider6309]

South Gallia is pretty tiny. Any talks shutting it down and going back to just River Valley?

[FANOSPORTS]

South Gallia is pretty tiny. Any talks shutting it down and going back to just River Valley?

It was a 25 -30 mile trip for some of those kids from the old Hannan Trace district to River Valley after the first consolidation and that was one of the main drawbacks but who knows, crazier things have happened.

[FANOSPORTS]

Geographically, Coal Grove borders every district in Lawrence county except Fairland. If it were ever to happen here, it would almost have to be split into an east/west type of alignment. If not, there would be some LONG bus rides for students to get to and from school. I drive for the Grove. We have some long routes due to being mainly rural. Number wise, we have 600 students enrolled in kindergarten- 5th grade. Another thing to consider is, most of the districts in the county have newer buildings. I’m not sure the tax payers would be thrilled with a consolidation.

Hypothetically speaking if it were to ever happen then in an East/West type format (figuring in size also) the format would probably be Ironton, Rock Hill and Coal Grove together and Fairland, Symmes Valley, Chesapeake and South Point together ?

[Raider6309]

I guess it’s not consolidation since they are the same district but when will South Gallia have to shut down. It’s only 60 boys and they moved the new school more central. It’s just one of the worst districts in drive time

[Raider6309]

But we always talk about consolidation and it never happens

[BeatOfTheSEOhio]

Up until the district's bond issue passed last year, there was a time I was surprised to see Green still in functionality because of its size and struggles.

[Omega]

Consolidation of schools sucks, but we have to embrace the suck because of the golden rule: he who has the gold (the stats) rules.

[LucasDavenport]

When they built both Portsmouth Clay and New Boston new schools I believe it showed that consolidation was not in the near future. .

[Izladoom]

No way we ever have any consolidation in Scioto county

[fortdawg]

It will come when we have a governor who doesn't have any further political aspirations.
I was a Frosh when Federal was formed and I've heard all the arguments on how it won't work.
It will.
The old timers die off and all the old rivalries disappear and are replaced with new ones.
The economies of scale come into play along with the quality of education being offered.
If your school is to small to offer a band, football team, or other extra-curricular activities the pressure to consolidate will increase.
The bigger the school (within reason) the mores subjects and activities they can offer kids.
A kid at Logan or Athens has more opportunities than one where the graduating class is under 50.
Parents will see that and move towards those schools.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

I don't think so in Lawrence county either.

[pfloyd]

When they built both Portsmouth Clay and New Boston new schools I believe it showed that consolidation was not in the near future. .

... I get it that people would think about consolidation BUT with all of the money that the state has thrown around to assist in building NEW schools - smaller schools included - I don't see the consolidation issue actually BEING an issue ... I'm with LD in his thinking here "not in the near future" ...

[teach1coach2]

Uhm, consolidation already occurred. In the 1960s. I bet everyone on here could name a few. I just don't see the Ohio Dept of Ed doing it soon. Although I will say future consolidations might be two districts that want to go together for athletics reasons.

Somerset, Thornville, and Glenford became Sheridan (Northern Local Perry Co).
New Straitsville, Shawnee, Hemlock, Corning, Moxahala became Miller (Southern Local Perry Co).

[old benchwarmer]

Years ago, I was speaking on this forum to someone from Westfall school district. Probably to a student. He did not even know that Westfall was a consolidated school. So going by age, a young age, it doesn't really matter as the history and knowledge of your school isn't studied much.

[formerfcfan]

There was talk 3-4 years ago about Walnut Township (Millersport) being absorbed into another district, like Liberty Union or Fairfield Union, but it failed because neither district wanted to absorb WT’s financial mess.