Committee Focuses On Education

CLIFTON FORGE - After meeting with the superintendents of the Covington and Alleghany County school divisions Tuesday night, members of the Citizens’ Committee to Perfect a Consolidation Agreement heard a familiar theme – Alleghany County supports a consolidated school division and Covington is in opposition.

Meeting at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, Covington School Superintendent Tom Long said he was particularly concerned about the closure of Covington High School.

“I’m concerned with the negative impact that closing the high school would have on the city of Covington,” Long said.

He said that the presence of the high school, and the intense pride that Covington citizens have in the high school, is essential to the future of the community.

Historically, potential school merger talks between Covington and Alleghany County have been stymied due to the positions of the school divisions. Covington supports maintaining CHS and Alleghany County is seeking the construction of a new, joint high school.

Covington offered utilizing the existing CHS and renovating and expanding the facility in order to accommodate the Alleghany students. Alleghany County steadfastly opposed that proposal.

Long also expressed fears that a consolidated high school would decrease the opportunity for students to participate in extracurricular activities since there would be one rather than two sports teams.

“The more you are involved in extracurricular activities, the better student you are,” Long commented.

While most consolidation advocates say that job reductions could be managed by attrition, Long said job losses would be inevitable and the community would be reeling at the prospect of additional job losses.

He said that Covington is reaping the benefits of small class sizes and low pupil-to-teacher ratios.

“I think education is best delivered in small communities,” Long noted. “Smallest isn’t the worst, I think it’s a blessing,” he added.

Other than expanded course offerings, Long said he does not see any advantages to a consolidated school division.

Alleghany County School Superintendent Dr. Sarah Campbell, the second to address the committee, answered the 16 questions posed by the committee by utilizing provisions in the state code.

“In my personal opinion, consolidation can work by offering the best of both school divisions,” Campbell said.

Campbell, who was an educator in Clifton Forge when Alleghany County and Clifton Forge merged schools in 1982; and an administrator when Clifton Forge reverted to a town, said a consolidated school division would reap long-term financial benefits, increased educational opportunities and increased efficiency.

“It’s been done. It’s happened. I don’t see why we can’t do it again,” Campbell commented.

In order for a consolidation proposal to succeed, Campbell said, there must be guarantees that no one will lose their job nor have a loss in salary and benefits. Any adjustment in staffing should be based on enrollment declines.

Campbell said she supported the consolidation of the schools since she was given assurances of job security.

Citing the “Hold Harmless” clause in the state code that supports a consolidated school division, Campbell said there would be an immediate influx of state funding when Covington students enter a consolidated system.

This “bump”, according to Campbell, is due to the consolidated school division being able to utilize the county’s lower Composite Index. The Composite Index is used to determine state funding of public schools.

Utilizing current figures, an increase of 832 Covington students in a consolidated system would produce an additional $650,166 in state revenues, Campbell said.

In order to foster consolidation of school divisions, the state code provides the “Hold Harmless” clause. When divisions consolidate, the lower Composite Index of the two divisions will be used and it is guaranteed for 15 years.

Due to the prior merger, Alleghany County is under the “Hold Harmless” provision until 2019.

Sixty-two percent of Alleghany County’s school funding comes from the Commonwealth.

Both superintendents agreed that there would be no changes in funding if the consolidated government takes the form of a city or county.

“We have nothing to gain or lose if we’re a city or county,” Campbell said.

Both were asked that since there have been ongoing merger talks for some time, why do “bricks and mortar” projects continue.

Covington completed construction of a new elementary and middle school and Alleghany County constructed a new elementary and middle school as well as renovated the remaining elementary schools.

“I think the education of our youth is more important to stand still when you have to move forward,” Long said. Campbell said capital projects must continue since the state requires school divisions to develop and implement a capital improvement plan.

“How long should we stand still while this issue is debated?” Long asked.

Both Campbell and Long said salary equalization will have to be a priority for the consolidated division. The Covington division pays employees at a higher scale.

Both were asked if they preferred elected or appointed school boards.

Campbell said there are advantages to each. An elected board reflects the democratic process, however, many are not willing to endure a campaign for election. Clifton Forge had an elected school board and Alleghany County has an appointed school board.

Long chose to defer an answer to the inquiry.

“I think it’s a loaded, political question,” he said.

Listing the myriad of changes in curriculum, scheduling, policies, administrative structure and the like, Long said the start-up costs of a consolidated division would be excessive.

“I believe honestly that the cost would be significant in time and dollars to study these things if consolidation would be implemented,” Long said.

The meeting was facilitated by Art Mead of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia.

The citizens’ committee will meet again Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Moomaw Center at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College.

There will be a public hearing conducted for citizens to provide their input on consolidation to the committee.