School Mergers

           I can recall the hubbub over the merger of Sandy schools with the DuBois schools. It made sense supporters hooted. Of course, there were those who wanted to maintain their own schools as civic pride; those who wanted nothing to do with “those lessers”; and those who believed it would dumb down both school systems. I can also remember the argument that your taxes would only increase only by the cost of a pack of cigarettes a month as a result of the merger.

            We should have known better from a cost standpoint. Cigarettes were only 25 cents a pack at Jake Graham’s store in the middle fifties. About the only thing I noticed was the introduction of red with the black and white of DuBois’ colors on athletic uniforms. Of course, I was not paying the taxes at that time. Whatever the cost of the merger, in November of 1964, another merger was announced and approved.

            Reynoldsville-Sykesville would become part of the DuBois Area School District beginning with the school year of 1965-66. No one was talking small tax increase this time. Just getting all those high school age kids to DuBois meant an enormous increase in transportation costs. It was too bad this merger did not take place the year before. The Reyn-Sykes Falcons were undefeated in football in the fall of 1964 with such stalwarts as Frank Adamski, Denny Torretti, Bill Clontz and Sam Early. It would not have hurt to have Harry Clarke as a coach either as he was an offensive wizard with many successful years as coach at Central High School in Martinsburg after the merger.

            Mergers in themselves had merit. But bigness had its drawbacks. It was the end of the neighborhood school. Regional schools had to be built to facilitate bringing young people from all over the district. Economies of scale did not permit schools with 250 kids anymore. And, of course, the transportation costs just kept rising and rising. More students meant more administrators, non instructional types the students never see, unless they are “problem students.” A larger district meant more funds from the state and federal government, so more folks to keep the books and do the paperwork that is required by bureaucrats.

            There is no doubt that the smaller districts would have had difficulty surviving and delivering the instruction needed. But, some survive. Harmony, Glendale, Moshannon Valley and Curwensville in Clearfield County are just a few. When the new high school in Clearfield was built many clamored for it to be built at the Driving Park, the home of the Clearfield County Fair. Instead, it was built on the border with the Curwensville District.  It was inevitable, so it was argued, that Curwensville would merge with Clearfield. Building the high school there requires transportation for all but about 10 of the students. As for the merger, it’s been almost 30 years and we are still waiting.