FORT PLAIN - In uncertain budget times, two local school districts are looking closer at the prospect of combining.
Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery County Board of Cooperative Educational Services Superintendent Geoff Davis on Wednesday addressed the combined Fort Plain and St. Johnsville boards of education and gave a presentation regarding the amount of state aid that could be gained if the two districts consolidated into one.
The Fort Plain district has 880 students and St. Johnsville has about 450 students. Davis said Fort Plain is not under consideration by the state for consolidation, but the state would recommend St. Johnsville consolidate with another district.
Should Fort Plain and St. Johnsville pursue consolidation, Davis said they would have two options - centralization and central school district annexation.
Centralization would involve the dissolution of both school districts and the creation of a new school district that would encompass the entire area of the two districts. The new district would have a new Board of Education, new superintendent and new employees.
"In a centralization, the staff seniority list is combined and the new staff is selected from that new seniority list," Davis said.
Under annexation, one district takes over the other, resulting in the dissolution of the annexed district. In this case, the administration and employees of the annexing district would remain, unless new positions are created for the additional students. Staff members from the annexed district would be considered for vacancies.
"If no new positions were required, no one from the annexed district will be employed," Davis said. "They will all go on a preferred eligibility list. However, if there are vacancies, those individuals, by seniority, will be up for those jobs."
Davis said there are heavy incentives for districts that want to consolidate.
After consolidation, the state would combine the dollar amounts that both districts were to receive in aid and tack on a 40 percent bonus for the next five years. After five years, the bonus would decrease by 4 percent until it phases out after 14 years.
"It's a staggering amount of money," Davis said.
Achieving consolidation, however, is not easy.
After Wednesday's informational meeting, the first step would be for a feasibility study that would develop information about how the combined district would operate.
The study would inform school district officials, taxpayers and the commissioner of education.
Davis reminded the boards that consolidation is a public process, and it falls to voters at two separate times.
If the public initially votes in favor of consolidation, Davis said it goes to the education commissioner, who must approve the consolidation and issue the order before it goes back to the public for a final vote.
The fastest Davis said the process could take is eight months.
Mike Zummo covers Montgomery County news. He can be reached by e-mail at montco@leaderherald.com.