Consolidate some school districts? Let’s discuss

Given the recent troubles at a number of San Antonio school districts, especially South San ISD, we need a community conversation about consolidating some of the 15 school districts in Bexar County. The Express-News Editorial Board would like to launch that discussion by encouraging readers to submit letters to the editor and guest columns (no more than 700 words) on the issue. Please send us your submissions to letters@express-news.net. We will publish your thoughts and ideas to address the persistent governance issues in some of our school districts.

This has been a topic of private debate for decades, and it’s time to bring the issue to the forefront for thoughtful examination of the options and how improved governance can improve educational outcomes in our community.

We expect disagreement about district consolidation, how that could possibly happen and which districts might be involved in such a process. But that’s also why we need to talk about it. Here are two dynamics most of us should agree on — we have too many school districts, and too many districts are under some type of state scrutiny. Let’s concentrate on the bigger picture. The education of our children is an investment in our future. They are the workforce of tomorrow, and they deserve the best education we can provide.

Is that happening? Not always. If each of the school districts in our community were operating better, there would be no need for this conversation. But several have very low-performing schools or are dealing with major governance issues. Four Bexar County school districts are under some form of intervention by the Texas Education Agency. South San ISD recently parted ways with its superintendent and reopened schools that can’t attract students, costing taxpayers millions. A TEA investigation of Harlandale ISD raised a number of concerns about contracting practices. The effort and energy used to deal with problems created by adults divert time, money and focus away from kids.

This is also an issue of redundancy. We have more than 100 school board trustees in our community responsible for the spending of billions of tax dollars each year. The decisions they make impact the quality of education in classrooms. Serving on a school board can carry a lot of political clout in some communities, and this is one of the many reasons some elected officials we spoke with expressed hesitancy in talking publicly about school district consolidation. Several elected officials we have interviewed said they have been warned that any move toward reducing the number of school districts in Bexar County could result in political challenges. That’s disturbing. This conversation cannot be about preserving political fiefdoms. It’s about our kids.

We get the concerns about maintaining local control, keeping neighborhood schools intact and preserving the unique cultures of these districts. And those concerns need to be heard.

But no one is advocating for one megadistrict that encompasses the entire county. A district of more than 300,000 would create its own problems. In fact, a 2014 study commissioned by the Legislature on consolidating school districts within the state’s major metropolitan centers recommended against megadistricts. The researchers found such a move would increase per-pupil cost by 6.5 percent. But there must be a way to minimize bureaucracy, cut the dysfunctional politics and bring a renewed focus on students in some of these districts.

If district consolidation isn’t the solution, then what are other policy options? Send us your thoughts and ideas. We would love to publish them.

Tom Reel / Staff photographer South San ISD board President Connie Prado shakes hands with Alexandro Flores earlier this month just before buying out his contract as superintendent, one of many questionable recent moves at the district. It’s time to discuss consolidating some of our troubled school districts.