Consolidation Topic

[carbon_dated]

Too bad they never had a Belmont East and Belmont West.
Could've had Barnesville, Union Local and St. Clairsville in Belmont West.
Combine Martins Ferry, Bellaire, Bridgeport and Shadyside into Belmont East.

[efarns]

289B3285-5711-46E5-9CA0-D0C077F2567E.pngThese two are really close

You'll be making enemies in Waterford. I don't know when this was last put to the voters, but I understand Waterford has always voted against.

[BigBoneJerome]

Some of the above mentioned consolidating would involve kids being on a school bus for 90 minutes or more given how spread out some of the regions are that people are trying to join together. As someone mentioned you can't have schools that are big enough for that schools current number of kids and then all of a sudden dump another school in there and think it's going to magically fit together. Unioto and Chillicothe together??? LOL where's all those kids going to fit at?? Consolidating might happen in some areas where it's not near as spread out and for schools that can accommodate much larger classes but I'm not sure you'll really see this happening on a wide scale at all.

who's going to be 90 minutes?

[mattash]

East Carter and West carter are consolidating

[mattash]

sports no academics yes lol

[meatswinger]

I think there are a few schools that should consolidate in SEO. It is a lot better in the long run. Look at VC for example...what good would it be having 5 small DVI schools in the same county...? Getting more kids in one place is whats best for both athletics and academics. No one should be against consolidating simply because they dont want their small town to lose its identity. If its best for the kids, then thats all that matters.

Tell that to the kids who live so far away from the school that they can’t participate.

On another note, who will Trimble be consolidating with and will their consolidating accelerate the likely return of SG to the TVC? Thoughts?

[Dundas]

I think there are a few schools that should consolidate in SEO. It is a lot better in the long run. Look at VC for example...what good would it be having 5 small DVI schools in the same county...? Getting more kids in one place is whats best for both athletics and academics. No one should be against consolidating simply because they dont want their small town to lose its identity. If its best for the kids, then thats all that matters.

Tell that to the kids who live so far away from the school that they can’t participate.

On another note, who will Trimble be consolidating with and will their consolidating accelerate the likely return of SG to the TVC? Thoughts?

Growing up in VC, if you want to play sports at Vinton County High School, the county will do everything in its power to provide what you need to play. I never heard a kid say in school that they wished they could play but lived in Wilkesville and couldn’t. The biggest downside to large districts is the fringe kids go to neighboring schools in large numbers because of proximity. VC is better off with 1 school as opposed to 5. Most, if not all of those schools wouldn’t offer the sports that VC can in the first place. So really your argument is wrong. Bigger school equals more sports and opportunities for kids to play a larger variety of sports and activities. I’ve lived it.

[noreply66]

In a way you both are right. A lot of kids in Hocking County do not play sports because they are too far away from the high school and do not have the transportation to get to practice. Some are too far away to go to any Athens County school plus Vinton County to practice. The kids that went to small schools do have the chance to play a lot more sports. When the small schools started going to Logan, I know a boy that thumbed home after practice. Didn't take too long for him to get a regular ride due to a guy picking him up while he was going home from work. The kid was lucky someone worked a 12-hour shift.

[Dundas]

In a way you both are right. A lot of kids in Hocking County do not play sports because they are too far away from the high school and do not have the transportation to get to practice. Some are too far away to go to any Athens County school plus Vinton County to practice. The kids that went to small schools do have the chance to play a lot more sports. When the small schools started going to Logan, I know a boy that thumbed home after practice. Didn't take too long for him to get a regular ride due to a guy picking him up while he was going home from work. The kid was lucky someone worked a 12-hour shift.

I will admit Vinton County is a bit different than any other county in SEO. VC has 13k residents total. Thats roughly the same population as Chillicothe. Our biggest town is smaller than Glouster. Wilkesville, Zaleski, Hamden (our only other incorporated villages besides McArthur) all have well under 1000 residents each. Had Vinton County kept 5 high schools, we would have 1 school with a football team at most. There would be no boys and girls tennis. No full track teams. Maybe a team or two with golf. Some may not even play basketball or baseball. None would have the depth to be relevant or even average in any sport most years. I understand other counties have a much larger population but if you’re looking at, for example, Trimble. Consolidating with NY, Athens, and Miller… none of Trimbles kids will be on a bus for 1.5 hours like in VC. I get the community doesn’t want to lose their High School.

[NYBuckeye96]

Trimble is in a world of hurt financially. They have had mass layoffs and project a deficit of $11 million by 2029 even *after* factoring in the mass layoffs. Here is a recent article on the situation...

https://woub.org/2025/05/19/tumultuous- ... rojection/

On May 28, per the rules of fiscal emergency, a state commission will take over Trimble’s finances. That commission will do whatever it deems necessary to make Trimble financially solvent again. It is too early to say what that will be.

However, the five-year forecast revealed Thursday suggests the district is facing a deficit of $11 million by 2029.

That’s an enormous number, and it left the audience noticeably shaken.

“So I guess the question is … what do we do?” one audience member asked. “We can’t sustain this. We can’t cut more.”

“Why are we even cutting people if it doesn’t matter?” another interjected.

“We’re going to have literally no specials, no counselors, no nothing. We’re not going to have a district,” someone said.

Finally, treasurer Ashley Miller said, “I know FY ‘29 looks disastrous and bleak, but if we try to focus on what we can do right now, for the survival of the school, that’s probably the best thing that we can do.”

[portsmouth_98]

Scioto County is definitely oversaturated with small schools. I probably have as many high schools in proximity to me as someone who lives in an urban center. These are distances from my house and a quick google search enrollment. There is room for consolidation without having kids on the bus for an extended period.
New Boston Glenwood = 2.1 miles (99 Students)
Clay Local = 3.7 miles (146 Students)
Sciotoville Community = 4.7 miles (349 k-12)
Portsmouth High School = 5.7 miles (672 7-12)
Wheelersburg High School = 8.4 miles (386 students)
Portsmouth West High School = 9.2 miles (336 Students)
Valley Local High School = 10.0 miles (249 Students)
Minford High School = 10.2 miles (372 Students)
Scioto Northwest High School = 14.2 miles (401 students)
Green Local High School = 15.3 miles (221 7-12)
South Webster High School = 16.1 miles (332 7-12)[*]

[Ohio1979]

Scioto County is definitely oversaturated with small schools. I probably have as many high schools in proximity to me as someone who lives in an urban center. These are distances from my house and a quick google search enrollment. There is room for consolidation without having kids on the bus for an extended period.
New Boston Glenwood = 2.1 miles (99 Students)
Clay Local = 3.7 miles (146 Students)
Sciotoville Community = 4.7 miles (349 k-12)
Portsmouth High School = 5.7 miles (672 7-12)
Wheelersburg High School = 8.4 miles (386 students)
Portsmouth West High School = 9.2 miles (336 Students)
Valley Local High School = 10.0 miles (249 Students)
Minford High School = 10.2 miles (372 Students)
Scioto Northwest High School = 14.2 miles (401 students)
Green Local High School = 15.3 miles (221 7-12)
South Webster High School = 16.1 miles (332 7-12)[*]

Won’t ever happen. It would leave too many superintendents, principals and teachers without a job

[NYBuckeye96]

https://wtov9.com/news/local/breaking-s ... s-decision

The Switzerland of Ohio School District (Monroe County) voted today to close Beallsville High School and consolidate those students into Monroe Central High School and River High School.

[Steely Dan]

OK, so the decision was made to close Beallsville back in 2015 but there was such an uproar that the school board relented and used the state money to build a new school. Enrollment was dwindling back then, well, this year there were 47 students in grades 9-12 that attended classes at the high school. That is not sustainable. My understanding is that the senior class only had five students at the high school, and the other 10 attended Swiss Hills vocational school. The new school should have never been built.

[portsmouth_98]

Scioto County is definitely oversaturated with small schools. I probably have as many high schools in proximity to me as someone who lives in an urban center. These are distances from my house and a quick google search enrollment. There is room for consolidation without having kids on the bus for an extended period.
New Boston Glenwood = 2.1 miles (99 Students)
Clay Local = 3.7 miles (146 Students)
Sciotoville Community = 4.7 miles (349 k-12)
Portsmouth High School = 5.7 miles (672 7-12)
Wheelersburg High School = 8.4 miles (386 students)
Portsmouth West High School = 9.2 miles (336 Students)
Valley Local High School = 10.0 miles (249 Students)
Minford High School = 10.2 miles (372 Students)
Scioto Northwest High School = 14.2 miles (401 students)
Green Local High School = 15.3 miles (221 7-12)
South Webster High School = 16.1 miles (332 7-12)[*]

Won’t ever happen. It would leave too many superintendents, principals and teachers without a job

It's not ideal for people to lose jobs but it's also not sustainable to continue to live off a dwindling and aging tax base.

[RBH23]

Scioto County is definitely oversaturated with small schools. I probably have as many high schools in proximity to me as someone who lives in an urban center. These are distances from my house and a quick google search enrollment. There is room for consolidation without having kids on the bus for an extended period.
New Boston Glenwood = 2.1 miles (99 Students)
Clay Local = 3.7 miles (146 Students)
Sciotoville Community = 4.7 miles (349 k-12)
Portsmouth High School = 5.7 miles (672 7-12)
Wheelersburg High School = 8.4 miles (386 students)
Portsmouth West High School = 9.2 miles (336 Students)
Valley Local High School = 10.0 miles (249 Students)
Minford High School = 10.2 miles (372 Students)
Scioto Northwest High School = 14.2 miles (401 students)
Green Local High School = 15.3 miles (221 7-12)
South Webster High School = 16.1 miles (332 7-12)[*]

On that list, New Boston, Clay, Sciotoville, and Green are the schools that could be merged into other districts. Others would be more of a challenge.

But agree with the post that many would fight any such consolidation due to employment, etc.

[sapientia et veritas]

If property taxes get scrapped - and that's the mood of the nation at the moment - consolidations will be huge. I'll be surprised if it happens in Ohio with our dyed in the wool, milquetoast, wax museum, corporate owned RINOs but if the toolshed Vivek gains ground with eliminating the income tax then maybe Tressel will counter with eliminating property tax. Consolidating is a great idea for everyone who don't have their own kids in the system.

[portsmouth_98]

If property taxes get scrapped - and that's the mood of the nation at the moment - consolidations will be huge. I'll be surprised if it happens in Ohio with our dyed in the wool, milquetoast, wax museum, corporate owned RINOs but if the toolshed Vivek gains ground with eliminating the income tax then maybe Tressel will counter with eliminating property tax. Consolidating is a great idea for everyone who don't have their own kids in the system.

Bigger isn't always better but there is definitely a point where it's hard to offer electives and activities for the very small schools. A lot of them are limited in what sports, arts , and cultural classes they can offer. I know in the grand scheme of things not everyone needs to play football , speak a second language or learn to play an instrument but its nice to be able to afford the staff to do so and have enough kids to make it worthwhile

[The Scotty A Show]

Just a few short years ago, 8 or 10, Trimble seemed to be on the upswing in growth and even passed a levy. Now they’re staring down the barrel of possibility of closing the doors forever. Hopefully someone can wrestle control of decision making away from those who refuse to take any responsibility for the demise and find a way to save the district. If not, consolidation is inevitable.

[RollCoal]

One issue with consolidation is this. How many districts have built new facilities in the past few years?

Green,New Boston,Rock Hill, and several others have newer buildings and athletic facilities. Coal Grove has built new indoor athletic facilities. Ironton has built one also.

Plus, throw in how would districts be aligned in order to make bus routes manageable, staffing concerns, etc.
I know some districts have decided to transport K-12 on the same bus routes in order to save money.
Just my thoughts.