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Ferndale should not exist. Conamaugh Valley should not exist. Shanksville should not exist. The list goes on and on and on................money pits that could be easily combined with nearby districts but for opposition from union and small minded people who continue to await the re-opening of the steel mills.

NeverQuit wrote:Look at Ferndale for example, they won the district title 18 years ago barely have a team this year. They've been teetering for a few years now. Laurel Valley doesn't have a school. Numbers are down.

well you have local schools sucking the life out of them. They can move right down the road and be out of the district or just go to McCort

psycho wrote:Ferndale should not exist. Conamaugh Valley should not exist. Shanksville should not exist. The list goes on and on and on................money pits that could be easily combined with nearby districts but for opposition from union and small minded people who continue to await the re-opening of the steel mills.

If the local taxpayers in Ferndale and Conemaugh Valley are willing to fund local education, why are you so anxious to have them merge? I'll speak on behalf of CV as I was born and raised in East Conemaugh and my parents still reside there. The quality of education at CV has slowly but surely rising over the past decade. The school taxes are extremely low. To effectively eliminate the current district, you would need to split it among Greater Johnstown, Richland and Blacklick Valley. If you are a current or future parent residing in East Conemaugh, Franklin, Bon Air, Daisytown, Cover Hill, etc. would you rather your child attend CV or Johnstown High? I know which I would choose and the ability of the school to field a football team would have very little to do with that decision.

If the locals decide its time to merge, then I'm all for it. It is after all, their money and their children.

Taxes are low in the CV district because in part, it is a low income district and receives disproportionate funding from the state. Westmont, Richland and Mt. Lebanon tax dollars are supplementing CV tax dollars. A few years ago Westmont and CV officials were both quoted by the local rag as looking and failing to find merger partners. Apparently the two schools never talked to each other or more likely refused to talk to each other.

knowitall wrote:Taxes are low in the CV district because in part, it is a low income district and receives disproportionate funding from the state. Westmont, Richland and Mt. Lebanon tax dollars are supplementing CV tax dollars. A few years ago Westmont and CV officials were both quoted by the local rag as looking and failing to find merger partners. Apparently the two schools never talked to each other or more likely refused to talk to each other.

I assume transportation would have been the main logistical issue with a Westmont/CV merger. Fendale and Westmont seem like a great match, but it takes two to tango.

Transportation wouldn't be much of an issue.

There were six cars waiting for the Valley School of Ligonier bus at its Westmont pickup spot this AM. The Valley bus was running a good twenty minutes late. If you're willing to send your elementary aged geek up and down Ligonier mountain in the winter to avoid having them sit next to fellow Westmont geeks I really doubt you want them sitting next to the white trash of Franklin and Conemaugh all day.

Merry Christmas to you knowitall, you seem pretty bitter lately.

Humbug

knowitall wrote:Transportation wouldn't be much of an issue.

There were six cars waiting for the Valley School of Ligonier bus at its Westmont pickup spot this AM. The Valley bus was running a good twenty minutes late. If you're willing to send your elementary aged geek up and down Ligonier mountain in the winter to avoid having them sit next to fellow Westmont geeks I really doubt you want them sitting next to the white trash of Franklin and Conemaugh all day.

I guess I'm white trash then since I'm from East Conemaugh. Why you would even introduce that comment into this thread is beyond me.

I was poking fun of the Grey Poupon Westmont crowd. No harm meant.