The Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce is conducting an in-house survey to learn its membership’s thoughts on school consolidation. Through Tuesday, the chamber’s 1,000-plus members can participate in the on-line survey at www.valdostachamber.com The chamber hopes the survey will gauge both the local business community’s thoughts on consolidation, as well as the potential effects which consolidation may have on the business community.

The Valdosta Daily Times has made no secret of its thoughts on the matter. Consolidation has consistently been listed on this page as one of our Editorial Objectives for the past few years. Since being placed on the Editorial Objectives list, we’ve known school consolidation is not a project that can be resolved in one year’s time or, as its recurring placement on our list suggests, even a few to several years time.

But there could come a point where time is of the essence regarding consolidation or even when it becomes too late for local officials and citizens to have a say in how we should consolidate our schools.

Football has long been blamed for halting consolidation. As many folks have come to realize, however, high school football traditions would likely be unchanged by consolidating the city and county school systems. Valdosta High would still have its Wildcat traditions while Lowndes High would still have its Viking traditions, even if both high schools were part of the same school system. Consolidation would not have to change area football.

Possibly, the most intriguing arguments against consolidation are those who appreciate the policies of one school system over the other. Some parents and students prefer the educational benefits and programs of Valdosta City Schools, while some prefer the educational benefits and programs of Lowndes County Schools. These are the most reasoned arguments against consolidation because they show a preference for a system’s educational standards which would likely change, for better or worse depending on one’s view.

Race and the perception of racial segregation are often underlying factors in many consolidation arguments. Though many make the case that race is not a factor in having two school systems, and some even present convincing reasons why race is not the issue, the truth remains that one school system’s students are predominantly black while the other school system’s students are predominantly white.

Even if all of the locally crafted arguments about why race is not a factor in having two school systems are sincere and true, they still don’t negate the perception to many outsiders that Valdosta-Lowndes County has a system of white schools and a system of black schools.

One must wonder how many outside businesses and industries have passed on Valdosta-Lowndes County because of this first impression. It’s doubtful that any local official even had the opportunity to make a pretty explanation as to why having two school systems has nothing to do with race. Some business scouts may have seen our two school systems and immediately crossed Valdosta-Lowndes County off their lists of possible locations.

There is also the possibility that the federal Justice Department may some day deem that Valdosta-Lowndes having two school systems has more to do with segregation than simply a wrong impression. Then, we’ll have no say in how we consolidate. The feds will consolidate our schools for us, however the Justice Department sees fit.

And that, no matter what the chamber’s survey reveals, will not be good for Valdosta-Lowndes County business.