Paul G. Williamsen

Superintendent

27 School Street

Mayfield, NY 12117

518.661.8207

leaf bullet Mayfield and Northville boards
      identify key questions in merger process


September 30, 2010

Members of the Mayfield and Northville boards of education took another step in the merger process by identifying five questions their communities will likely want answered in a potential merger study, during the boards’ fourth joint meeting, Monday, Sept. 27, at Mayfield Jr./Sr. High School. Both boards are exploring options for merging or sharing services between the two districts.

The districts have until Oct. 20 to apply for a $35,000 Local Government Efficiency Grant to help pay for the merger study. Each district will contribute $5,000 in “good faith money” toward the cost of the study.

“We’re 99 percent sure we will receive the grant money because New York State is offering great incentives for districts that want to merge,” said Northville Superintendent Kathy Dougherty. “In anticipation of that, we’re moving forward with the request-for-proposal process and looking for a group to conduct the study.”

Merger studies are typically conducted by education consultants, including former superintendents who have been through the process. The districts would assume no financial risks during the request-for-proposal process.

The SES Study Group, which consists of former superintendents Paul M. Seversky, Douglas A. Exley and Samuel A. Shevat, facilitated Monday’s meeting. Each member of the group has been part of a merger or school consolidation. During the meeting, the boards identified 40 questions their community members would want answered during a merger study. They boiled those to five essential questions:

  •  How could grade levels be organized and in which buildings?

  •  How does a reorganized district manage its finances, from “day 1” when the new district is formed to 14 years down the road, when the incentive aid ends?

  •  What are the strengths that the two school districts bring to a potential new school district?

  • What is the current “condition” of each district’s budget (debt, revenue and financial resources)?

  • What is the five-year outlook for such things as revenue, enrollment and expenditures?

Both Dougherty and Mayfield Superintendent Paul G. Williamsen will use the five essential questions in their application for the Local Government Efficiency Grant.

“The state is going to want to know what we hope to get out of doing the merger study,” Williamsen said. “On Monday, we identified some of the key questions we want answered. When we write the grant application, we’ll include these key questions as examples of areas we want the merger study to cover.”

According to a document presented by the SES Study Group, reorganization studies typically take from six to nine months and consist of six stages:

  • Initial start-up of the study.

  • Collection of baseline data from almost 20 categories including the history, background, and enrollment projection of the districts.

  • The organization of community study committees from each district (ranging from 12-15 volunteers).

  • The work of the composite community committees.

  • Identifying a consensus of the Joint Community Committee regarding a recommendation for possible action by the districts and their committees.

  • Presenting the study to the public and soliciting comments.

The next step for the two boards will be to choose a consultant group to conduct the merger study. The selected consultant would not begin work on the merger study until after the districts receive the Local Government Efficiency Grant.