2 Cents: School consolidation

Some Charleston County Parents are up in arms this week as the school board released a list of schools that could be closed due to consolidation.

Like much of the US, the Charleston County School Board is facing some serious economic difficulty and the truth is, there just isn’t enough money to support 81 schools.

The board says the list is not set in stone and that parents and taxpayers will have a chance to speak out in an effort to save their schools, but those efforts won’t change the cold hard fact that there isn’t enough money and consolidation seems to be the only option.

According to the district, the school closings will be based in part on the following criteria…

A school’s performance based on the county standards

High student expenditures

And declining enrollment.

It’s a natural reaction to resist consolidation. Nobody wants to see their neighborhood school shut down and others worry about having students bused in to schools that they feel are already crowded- but let’s get passed all of that. The real question is “is consolidation necessary “ and the school boards bottom line says yes. There just isn’t enough money, so don’t ask the school board to do something it can’t. Work with them for the greater good. If you are going to argue against a particular piece of the consolidation puzzle, be sure to bring some viable alternatives. Remember, we can make a bad situation better but we can’t make a bad situation just go away.

I’m rick lips and that’s my two cents.