Consolidation

[TheAnalyst]

Several of the posters on here have talked about (in some cases for years) consolidating school districts to eliminate the smaller schools and create larger ones.

As I am interested in how you would go about this, I am asking for you to provide an example.

So, take the schools in Bedford County and consolidate Bedford, Chestnut Ridge, Everett, Tussey, and NBC. I'd like to see what you can come up with.

[abpk2903]

2 high schools. Bedford, ridge, hyndman is one. NBC, Tussey and Everett the other.

[Manfred]

This idea may work for flat-landers, but the mountain logistics around here are ridiculous. Kids will be on buses for 1 to 1- 1/2 hrs. EACH way! In GOOD weather.

[peytonsaturday]

Somerset county route 30 divides it
North soco
Shade
Windber
North star
Ct
South soco
Shanksville
Berlin
Somerset
Meyersdale
T foot
Rockwood
Salisbury

Yes southern would be bigger, but that's the easiest way. Probably a AAA school in north and AAAA in south. After rereading, maybe add shanksville to north.

[abpk2903]

This idea may work for flat-landers, but the mountain logistics around here are ridiculous. Kids will be on buses for 1 to 1/2 hrs. EACH way! In GOOD weather.

Kids already have hour long bus rides. I lived less than 6 miles from my high school and was on the bus for 50 minutes. You mean to tell me if you put a high school beside the Jean Bonnett bus rides would be that much greater for any student in the Ridge, Bedford, or Hundman area? If you put a high school at the intersection of 26 and 36 how much would that really add to a bus ride? In both instances you can be to the high school that is being replaced in less than 10 minutes.

[Crimson's Ghost]

Just Johnstown I would try to incorporate Richland,FH, and Valley as one. Johnstown,Westmont, and Ferndale as the other. Maybe tie Blacklick Valley on with Central Cambria.

[Crimson's Ghost]

Johnstown, Westmont, Ferndale male enrollment.... 641
Forest Hills, Richland, Conemaugh Valley enrollment.... 573
Portage, Penn Cambria, Central Cambria, Blacklick.....628
Cambria Heights, Northern Cambria, Glendale..... 474 (AAA)

That is male enrollment for this year....

Here are some other Western PA Schools they would have to compete with
Altoona is 892
State College 903
Mifflin County 714
Central Mountain 522
Hollidaysburg 431


For WPIAL prospective

--The Johnstown/Westy/Ferndale school would be the 10th biggest school in the WPIAL about the size of Central Catholic and slightly larger than Norwin.

--The FH one would be around 19 slightly larger than Fox Chapel, and just shy of North Hills.

--The PC/CC/BV one would fall just behind the Johnstown school.

--The Heights/NC/Glen school would be the third largest AAA school just behind Albert Gallatin and Franklin Regional.

[Husker33]

I think in Somerset County it is probably more feasible than in Bedford County. I can't see them consolidating in Bedford County. CR & TM cancel school often because of bad winter roads while other schools in the county are still having school because they still have major highways that are clear. Also TM goes into Huntingdon County and those students are already riding 30-40 minutes to Saxton. There are plenty of examples of this in Bedford County.

Also Cambria County has some schools that could consolidate.

[odoyelrules]

imo Bedford County isn't great for consolidation...it has 50,000 people spread over 1,017 square miles, 4 entire school districts + 2 partials. Contrast that with Somerset County's 78,000 people spread over 1,081 square miles, 10 entire school districts + all of Windber except Scalp Level. Sometimes lost in things is that in our area each school district has 1 high school, which is much different elsewhere.

With that said, changes that I'd make:

Bedford County:

Juniata, Napier, Schellsburg, and New Paris to Bedford...as things are currently the SW portion of the Bedford School District travels through Napier to get to Bedford anyway.

Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough to Everett. Splits NBC at the gap, lets the Tatesville kids go to the nearby school.

Remainder of NBC to Roaring Spring/Martinsburg at the newly named Morrisons Cove School District.

Tussey Mountain - relatively unchanged, terrain makes things difficult. Perhaps add Lincoln Township from Huntingdon County.

Remainder of Chestnut Ridge merge northward with entire Claysburg Kimmel school district and Freedom Township from Spring Cove and Juniata Twp. from Hollidaysburg hosted at Claysburg.

Blair County

Williamsburg Boro, Woodbury Twp. to the former Spring Cove School District. Catharine Township to Hollidaysburg.

Bellwood Antis entire school district to Tyrone.

Huntingdon County

Juniata Valley entire SD to Huntingdon.

So Bedford/Blair/Huntingdon counties would lose:

NBC
Chestnut Ridge
Williamsburg
Bellwood Antis
Juniata Valley

Remaining District homes:

Bedford
Everett
Saxton
Claysburg
Martinsburg/Roaring Spring
Hollidaysburg
Altoona
Tyrone
Huntingdon
Mount Union
Orbisonia

So Bedford/Blair/Huntingdon went from 14 encompassed school districts + partials in Tyrone and Mount Union to 9 entirely within those counties + the 2 partials. For simplicity's sake I ignored Penn Cambria's ?20 kids that are in Blair County.

As far as a Jean Bonnet campus or Pinchot Road high school, as some have proposed, I don't see anything like that occurring, given the cost situation. Though some places - perhaps Claysburg, Tyrone, Spring Cove, and Huntingdon would need to add some classrooms.

[konjo78]

Heritage could consolidate, though not needed, marion center, pm, pl/lv and United/ homer center Blairsville saltsburg.

Though none of this needed