How much longer before the rural school districts start merging or busing the kids to other, larger districts?
There will come a point when it will be cheaper to pay tuition rather than pay for the salaries and maintenance of facilities.
For example, Colton-Pierrepont (sp), former Class D NY State Soccer Champs, will start paying tuition to Potsdam when total district enrollment falls below 300. My source is reliable and highly placed but not confirmed.
This trend of shrinking enrollment has been happening in every district in St. Lawrence County since the 1970s. This is public information.
It really is a damned shame because the school district jobs are the ones that attract young families that will have kids and attend the schools. If the districts continue to contract there will be fewer families with fewer kids and it will only serve to reinforce the existing trend.
So what's up with Ogdensburg spending over $60 million on improvements? Their HS building has empty classrooms. EMPTY!!!
The response to the very question about the 60 million was that it would be paid for with aide...tax money is still tax money no matter how you get it....it is the old "this is a way to get some of our money back" reasoning. Until we stop spending money just because we can, the cost of education will continue to escalate.
