Small school districts face scrutiny to consolidate
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The Indiana Chamber of Commerce is renewing a push to consolidate the state's smallest school districts, armed with a new study it says shows "serious educational gaps."
Driving the news: The report, conducted by Ball State University's Center for Business and Economic Research and commissioned by the chamber, was released this week.
- It found that students in the smallest school districts passed the state's standardized tests at lower rates than those in larger corporations, sometimes by dramatic amounts.
The big picture: The chamber has long advocated for districts with fewer than 2,000 students to consolidate, calling on the Indiana General Assembly to offer incentives to schools that choose to do so.
- "When an entire K-12 school district is very small, the research clearly shows a significant negative difference in student learning, course offerings and post-graduation educational opportunities," said Kevin Brinegar, president and CEO of the chamber, in a press release accompanying the study.
- Brinegar called it "an uncomfortable reality" that's hurting kids, communities and putting the state's future in jeopardy.
The other side: "I am pretty sure that small school corporations, communities and staff are aware of what we can offer and what we can't," Roger Bane, superintendent of the smallest district — Medora Community School Corporation, with 144 students in the 2021-22 school year — told Axios.
- Bane called the report "another political attack on small school districts."
By the numbers: According to the report, more than half of Indiana's 290 traditional public school districts have fewer than 2,000 students and they serve roughly one in five Hoosier students.
- Eight districts have fewer than 500 students.
- Just four have more than 20,000 — the largest category examined.
Between the lines: Lawmakers have previously been reluctant to support legislation that would eliminate schools in their districts.
- With more than 160 districts implicated and leaders pledging to only tackle the most pressing issues, it could be a tough sell again this year.
What they found: The average ILEARN and IREAD pass rates and SAT scores from 2022 were lower for students at the smallest school corporations than for those attending school corporations with enrollment between 2,000 and 2,999, according to the study.
Yes, but: Smaller corporations did outperform districts with 10,000 or more students in many cases.
Plus: While Advanced Placement course enrollment was low, the smallest districts had the highest participation in dual credit courses, Chris Lagoni, executive director of the Indiana Small and Rural Schools Association, pointed out.
- They also had the highest percentage of students enrolled in career and technical education courses and school districts with enrollment of less than 1,000 had nearly double the share of students earning either an academic or technical honors diploma than larger districts.
What they're saying: Lagoni said everyone acknowledges that small schools can't offer as many courses, but the report shows small districts choosing to focus on what's important to their students and communities.
- He questioned why the report left out other types of small schools, like private and charter schools, but said his organization respects the study and would support districts that wanted to consolidate.
- "We see really good data for small schools and some areas for improvement," he said.