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Abstract
This study evaluated the opinions of superintendents of small school districts in New Jersey on how consolidation impacts curriculum, finance, and school community. New Jersey residents pay $4,750 above the national per-pupil cost average. These costs have contributed to New Jersey's ranking as one of the states with the highest property taxes in the United States. The majority of the funding for student expenditure is from local taxpayers (http://www.retirementliving.com/RLtaxes.html, n.d.). New Jersey taxpayers are calling for a school funding change, and many politicians and researchers are looking toward consolidation as a solution (League of Women Voters, 2006).
There is, however, a dearth of research that informs educational leaders and policymakers on superintendents' opinions of consolidation. The purpose of this research is to examine what superintendents of small school districts believe are the most important implications of school district consolidation. The superintendents expressed their opinions on curriculum, finance, and the school community in relation to consolidation.
The survey was sent to 161 New Jersey superintendents of small school districts. Survey Monkey was utilized to deliver the electronic survey. The thirty-question survey included four categories: Curriculum, Finance, School Community, and Superintendent Demographics. The superintendents rated each question as: Strongly Agree; Agree; Disagree; or Strongly Disagree. Descriptive statistics analyzed the superintendents' responses to the implications of consolidation. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for significant differences between the means. The examination of variances determined the differences that exist in the superintendents' attitudes about consolidation.
The results of this study revealed that superintendents of small school districts do not believe that consolidation would reduce costs. In fact, they believe that consolidation would do the opposite. The majority of the districts in this study had a per-pupil cost below the state's average. The study also revealed that the superintendents' school communities would not support consolidation, and their level of commitment to their small school district is represented in the high percentage of districts with approved budgets. Finally, the respondents in this study do not believe that consolidation would improve curriculum and instruction.
