In what has almost become a right of legislative passage, Sen. Tony Rand has once again filed a bill that would effectively merge city school systems into the county school system. The legislation doesn’t force a merger, but it cuts out a significant pot of administrative and teaching funds given to each school district, allocating that package only once per county. So the school systems for Mount Airy and Elkin would have to pay for a big chunk of those expenses themselves using local taxes rather than rely upon the state.
Whenever this comes up, boards and staff from both of Surry’s city school districts cry foul and launch an agressive lobbying campaign against the bill, especially in Elkin. Rand is among the most powerful legislators in Raleigh, and could probably push this through if he really wanted, but thus far he’s seemed content to simply float the idea each year and then back off. Maybe this is the year we see action, or maybe it’s just another unrealized threat to city school districts.
Either way, expect a heated response from the local school boards and probably some emails to staff and parents urging them take up the cause of saving the city school district. It’s a complex debate involving the most efficient way to educate students, with many of the same arguments already being exchanged on both sides in Davidson County. It would certainly simplify the process of districting and school construction and save the state millions to merge. The question is whether the success of our city school districts (relative to state averages) rests on their independent status or on strong faculty who wouldn’t be lost in a merger.
