School Districts in Placer County Study Feasibility of Merging
By Lakiesha McGhee, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.
Jul. 14–A number of small school districts in the foothills of Placer County are considering a merger to combat years of dwindling enrollment and shrinking funds from the state.
Some district officials say Sacramento’s new Twin Rivers Unified School District — formed by merging the former Grant high school district and its feeder schools — is their guide.
Placer Union High School District initiated a preliminary study of district reorganization by the Placer County Office of Education to see how merging school districts would improve the schools’ financing.
“A merger would bring a lot of money to school districts that are struggling to make ends meet,” said district Superintendent Bart O’Brien.
The study — released in May and recently presented to some school boards — examines nine school districts in north Placer County, including those in Auburn, Alta, Colfax, Foresthill, Loomis, Meadow Vista and Newcastle. Four scenarios are offered to show how a reorganization would affect revenues.
In one case, a marriage of all nine districts would create one district of 13,000 students and generate as much as $6.9 million more in state revenue annually, about $530 per student. Combining eight districts that serve 7,500 students in kindergarten to eighth grade would produce $3.5 million more in state funding, about $474 per student.
The additional cash flow might entice districts hit hard by a struggling housing market, an older population and fewer students to keep schools open.
“It’s too early to say what the benefits or drawbacks would be,” said Gayle Garbolino-Mojica, Placer County superintendent of schools. “The boards would have to request a more in-depth analysis, and if they would like for us to do that, we can do that for them.”
She cautioned that the preliminary study does not examine debts, expenditures, personnel reorganization or facilities.
The reorganization study is in the early stages of discussion, with some superintendents yet to present the findings to their boards. Many agree it would take at least three years for a merger to become reality.
“This is the first step of a thousand-mile journey,” O’Brien said.
The “M” word has been mentioned in the past concerning north Placer County school districts. The Placer Union High School District, which draws its students from several foothill feeder districts, has urged such discussion for years. Faced with pending state budget cuts, the topic came up at a regular meeting of north Placer superintendents, Garbolino-Mojica said. The initial study was requested, and superintendents agreed in May to discuss the findings with their boards.
“I would like to see a more thorough study by a third party,” Placer Union trustee Lynn MacDonald told staff at a meeting last month.
The board mulled the potential benefits of merging districts: possibly more money for services to students, more equitable services and shared resources.
Then there are the pitfalls: staffing and management issues.
“I want to know, what do you decide to do with all the superintendents and school boards?” trustee Ron Oates said.
Trustees often referred to the new Twin Rivers Unified School District, which on July 1 absorbed four school systems north of downtown Sacramento following voter approval in November. On the upswing, the district of 26,000 students is starting with a $260 million budget and a $28 million reserve. On the downside, the merger resulted in a bitter conflict over staff buyouts.
A Superior Court judge ruled June 27 that a dozen top administrators from the former Grant Joint Union High School District should receive buyout packages authorized by former Grant trustees. Sacramento County schools Superintendent Dave Gordon had said the buyouts were illegal and refused to issue the checks — from $100,000 to $250,000.
The confusion has caused some Placer County school officials to wonder if the benefits of a merger can be accomplished without the official act.
“With a merger, what you are really looking at is what you are doing for the kids and the services you can provide to kids, or if we can share resources and accomplish the same thing without merging,” said Kathleen Daugherty, superintendent of Newcastle Elementary School District.
Daugherty said although her district of 368 students is slowly growing and is “pretty secure” financially, she plans to present the preliminary study to her board in August.
The Auburn Union School District — which shut a campus this year because of declining enrollment — will discuss consolidation Wednesday.
“The discussions are happening, but it will take some time because of all the different players involved,” Oates said.
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