This study and article looks at Pennsylvania, but it is applicable to many States.
The article suggests State mandated school district consolidation instead of the current system of voluntary consolidation. I believe this is politically unpalatable and in fact would be politically impossible.
Pennsylvania did mandate consolidation in the early 1960’s, reducing 2,000+ school districts to 501. But at that time, pretty much every township and borough had its own school system. Now, most school districts encompass several townships and usually at least one borough, so it isn’t so clear cut.
Since the 1960’s, there has only been one successful school district consolidation, Monaca School District and Center Area School District to form Central Valley School District. In that case, however, the districts were both similar and similarly situated. Similar demographics, including race, wealth, etc. Both in similar financial situations.
BOTH districts benefited equally from the merger. There was not a “winning” district and a “losing” district.
That is typically NOT the situation in many cases were it might be beneficial to merge districts.
I live within the boundaries of Lackawanna Trail School District, which covers the far east portion of Wyoming County and part of the Northwest corner of Lackawanna County. Lackawanna Trail School District is upscale and demographically homogeneous, i.e. almost 100% non-Hispanic White. Other school districts in this area are similar situated. All the districts up here are generally in excellent financial shape. All are considered to be in good shape academically.
Just a few miles down the road is Scranton School District, covering the City of Scranton. It is 72% non-Hispanic White, 11% black, 14% Hispanic, 3% Asian. It is both a financial and academic wasteland.
Obviously, no school district in its right mind would voluntarily merge with Scranton School District. Scranton would be the winner in any merger and the other district or districts would be the losers.
For the same reason, any attempt to push the required legislation through the Pennsylvania legislature would meet with absolutely fierce resistance.
While there would be public support found in places such as Philadelphia County, from people living in the urban Pittsburgh school districts and people living in urban districts in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Harrisburg, York, etc., most of the population lives in districts which would stand to lose from being consolidated with urban school districts and would likely fight this tooth and nail.
Most likely, this will not go anywhere.
The only possible way such a scheme could happen would require that mandatory consolidations would be structured in such a way that rural districts could only be joined with other rural districts and all other districts, both rural and suburban, would be protected by law from being forcibly merged with toxic school districts such as Scranton.
