By Johnna Pinholster
November 08, 2008 11:32 pm
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VALDOSTA — A study conducted to determine the economic impact of a consolidated school system is complete.
The study, performed by consultants hired by the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce, has compiled research and survey results that will be presented at a Town Hall Meeting on Nov. 17.
The study took 10 months to complete.
To gather information, consultants from the Carl Vinson Institute and the Fanning Institute from the University of Georgia conducted interviews with 17 business site selectors, gave a survey to 345 local chamber members and surveyed other business persons in Georgia cities of comparable size.
More than 1,000 local chamber members had the opportunity to go online and take the survey.
The online survey results had 81 percent of the local chamber members choosing a unified school system. The questions in the survey were developed by the consultants.
At the end of the survey 213 respondents left comments about the survey and the school organization issue. Some that responded felt the effort to consolidate schools detracted from other more important issues relating to education, like a student’s home environment and building more effective schools.
Ten respondents indicated that they felt the survey was biased, with several citing that the survey offered no positives to having two systems, that the questions were written to elicit a unified school system response and that the two separate systems offer parents and students a greater overall choice in education.
The results of the interviews confirmed that the business site selectors have a strong preference for a single, unified, community-wide school, the study stated.
The consultants of the study attempted to interview 65 business site selectors, but only 17 agreed to be interviewed.
Those interviewed cited a unified school system as providing opportunities to form school-business partnerships, allowing businesses to influence school curricula and policy and giving businesses an opportunity to manage scheduling of employees who have school-age children.
Those interviewed also cited that a unified school system would provide the community with an ability to manage issues of diversity and human relations, limit distortions in the housing market and conduct a comprehensive educational improvement effort.
On the overall preference for business site selectors only 5.9 percent of those interviewed preferred the multiple school district form.
Dr. Cynthia Tori, interim head and associate professor of Economics at Valdosta State University, conducted an impact analysis of an increase in African-American students’ graduation rates if the systems were to unify for the study.
The study expected an economic impact per year between zero and $188,243 if the systems are unified with equal racial integration of the schools within it.
The study determined that the Valdosta High School graduation rate will increase by 1.2 percentage points, from 57.3 to 58.5 percent. The Lowndes High School graduation rate will decrease by 0.8 percentage points, from 78.4 percent to 77.6 percent, if the systems are consolidated.
The study also found that meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) has a greater impact on the graduation rate than racial composition.
The study stated that if the system’s did unify, the new consolidated school system will not receive any additional incentives to increase the enrollment size of the individual schools.
Several representatives from the Lowndes County School System are expected to attend the Town Hall Meeting on Nov. 17, said Heather Bonner, director of communications for the system.
While both superintendents attended a meeting at the chamber to discuss the results of the study, neither school system had a role in the creation or distribution of the survey, she said.
Previously, Chamber President Myrna Ballard said the chamber did not survey the entire community because the chamber’s focus is solely on the economic impact of having separated or consolidated schools in the community.
The study is an effort by the chamber to best determine how to improve economic development in the community, with focus on bringing better paying jobs for residents and retaining high school and university graduates in the community with a variety of jobs.
Through the summer of 2006, during meetings to develop the IMPACT 2012 Business Action Plan, 72 business, government and education leaders gathered and identified the impact of the Valdosta City and Lowndes County school systems on community development as a key factor in future growth for the area.
The full report may be viewed online at the Chamber’s Web site www.valdostachamber.com.
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Survey Results
1. In which community would businesses be more likely to form school-business partnerships (e.g. mentoring programs, volunteer programs, school adoption programs)?
18.5 percent answered two school systems
81.5 percent answered a unified school system
2. In which community would businesses be more able to influence school curricula and policy so as to better meet business needs?
17.3 percent answered two school systems
83 percent answered a unified school system
3. In which community would businesses have more capacity to manage the scheduling of employees who are parents of school-age children?
17.4 percent answered two school systems
82.9 percent answered a unified school system
4. In which community would business employees who are parents of school-age children be better able to comprehend, influence and participate in school system policies, procedures and programs?
19.3 percent answered two school systems
81 percent answered a unified school system
5. Which community would be better positioned to address community needs with regard to health care, child care, after school activities, mentoring youth and creating strong school-business-government linkages?
17.2 percent answered two school systems
83.4 percent answered a unified school system
6. In which community would the community (and the businesses in the community) be better able to manage issues of diversity and human relations?
21.1 percent answered two school systems
79.2 percent answered a unified school system
7. Which community would experience fewer distortions in the housing market?
17.4 percent answered two school systems
82.9 percent answered a unified school system
8. Which community’s school system(s) would be more able to streamline their business operations (e.g. finance, personnel, transportation, etc.)?
16.6 percent answered two school systems
83.4 percent answered a unified school system
9. In which community would school taxes (all else being equal) most likely be lower?
18.2 percent answered two school systems
81.8 percent answered a unified school system
10. Which community would be better able to maintain an image of educational quality (or less likely to have “bad press”)?
19.9 percent answered two school systems
80.4 percent answered a unified school system
11. Which community would be able to provide a wider array of school programs and services?
23.7 percent answered two school systems
76.6 percent answered a unified school system
12. In which community would you be more likely to see a comprehensive educational improvement effort?
20.5 percent answered two school systems
80.7 answered a unified school system
13. In which community would you prefer to locate your business?
20.8 percent answered two school systems
80.1 percent answered a unified school system
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