School district justice
West Mifflin case is resolved with lessons learned
Along-simmering dispute giving a bad name to school district consolidation and cooperation has been settled. That is good for the West Mifflin and Duquesne school districts, their taxpayers and students, and those contemplating school district collaboration down the road.
The big takeaway from the settlement of West Mifflin’s lawsuit is this: If the state Department of Education wants one school district to educate students from another, it must ensure that the former is properly compensated. Doing so will help to prevent ill will and make sure students feel welcome in their new schools.
Financially troubled Duquesne began sending high school students to WestMifflin in 2007 and middle school students there in 2012. West Mifflin long claimed the state miscalculated how much it should be paid to educate the newcomers, and the aggravation culminated last year in a lawsuit against Duquesne, the state and other parties. While West Mifflin hoped to recoup several hundred thousand dollars, the settlement could be worth as muchas $13 million over 10 years.
Under the agreement, West Mifflin will get a lump sum payment of $500,000 from Duquesne and higher per-student tuition rates from the neighboring district in future years. West Mifflin also will get more special educationmoney and save as much as $11,000 annually on career and technical education, the latter because Duquesne will begin making direct payments to Steel Center for Career and Technical Education for its students’ classes there. East Allegheny School District also educates some Duquesne students and will receive certain funding increases because of thesettlement with West Mifflin.
All students deserve a high-quality education, and one district must pay what is due another so that all taxpayers are treated fairly. The settlement helps to strike that balance. As West Mifflin school director Phil Shar noted, “our kids are going to get a better education and there’s no tax increase.”
Pennsylvania has far too many school districts — 500 — and interdistrict collaboration is wanting. With the funding dispute out of the way, the West Mifflin-Duquesne arrangement has the potential to be a model for other partnerships. The Pittsburgh Public Schools’ successful enrollment of Wilkinsburg high school students also is worthy of note.
The state never should have allowed the West Mifflin-Duquesne dispute to reach the court system. In addition to making sure one district is fairly compensated for educating students from another, it must be more diligent in mediating disputes. Important lessons should have been learned here.