And the merging debate goes on...
by Kirsten Medice, Staff Writer
Feb. 19, 2010
Sometime in mid-January the Valley News Dispatch published a lance about the Leechburg Area School board. The lance reads:
“To the Leechburg Area School Board. The taxpayers in Leechburg Area just can’t get a break. The borough raised taxes, West Leechburg raised taxes, and so did Gilpin Township. Now the school board not only wants to hike its property taxes, it wants to be able to increase the levy by more than the state-mandated limit of 4.1 percent.
“Small school districts – and Leechburg Area is one of the smallest in southwestern Pennsylvania – are more expensive per capita to operate than larger districts and provide fewer educational opportunities. It’s way past time for the board to do the right thing – seek out a neighboring district and merge.”
The newspaper’s lance has become a hot topic around school as students and teachers debate the proposal to merge. Given my strong opinion on this subject, I wanted to be the one to discuss both sides of this big debate.
Although I feel that a bigger school is better in the long run, there are pros to attending a small school such as Leechburg. Leechburg Area School District provides a unique learning experience. The staff and students here are a tight-knit group who interact with each other in class and through extracurricular activities on a regular basis. There is no denying that students at LHS are provided with one-on-one learning in most classroom situations, which is perhaps the biggest pro about a small school small. Students also have the opportunity to become involved in multiple sports and clubs, a rarity in most large school districts.
Nevertheless, these pros can become a double-edged sword. Yes, small class sizes and opportunities may sound good to the average student, but at what price do students pay?
Not many people think of one-on-one learning as a bad attribute for a school to offer. Only when truly examined can one-on-one time with teachers appear damaging to students. In a larger school, parents and teacher may argue that students are just “numbers.” Many parents believe that there is not a personal touch from teacher to student and that a student can excel in an environment when teachers have the time to focus on each individual student. I can’t say that these factors sound terrible to me as a student, but from experience, I know that teachers can often become too involved in the lives of students at LHS.
The fact of the matter is, gossip spreads in a small school just as much as in a big school, only faster. Often that gossip not only reaches students, but teachers as well. When teachers become involved in the personal lives of students outside of the school environment, there is potential of jeopardizing the student-teacher relationship.
The many opportunities a small school provides for its students aren’t always the best opportunities. Just because one student is “involved” in 20 different activities does not mean there is a learning opportunity provided. The same, I believe, goes for sports. Understandably, small school sport teams, more often than not, need every student willing to play – but is just walking onto a team without any real “tryout” teaching a lesson? Sometimes the fear of producing young adults that cannot handle rejection is voiced throughout the community. Rejection is a part of life and it would be a shame to shield children from such an important life lesson.
The increased number of class choices within big schools also provides appeal. LHS provides adequate classes for a small school, though sometimes the classes students are actually given are somewhat disappointing. Many students end up taking classes that they never signed up for. Granted, there is always this possibility in a large or small school, but large schools provide many more choices. Elective classes dealing mainly with their career choice may benefit students who know what major they will enter at the start of college. Unfortunately, small schools are less likely to provide enough courses in each area to provide an advantage for those who have planned ahead.
All in all, the decision parents make about raising their children in a large or small school depends on ideals. The same goes for whether or not the students actually enjoy attending whichever school.
Although I know merging would be years in the making, maybe the idea isn’t so crazy. Aside from Catholic schools, small schools are becoming rare finds. Perhaps it really is time for the school board to at least start considering the possibility.
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