In some instances school districts have failed to adopt the coopera- 

 tive plan hecause the voters helieve that such reorganization would re- 

 sult in higher costs. An examination of material provided hy the State 

 Department does not support this apprehension. For elementary educa- 

 tion the costs per pupil decline with an increase in average daily mem- 

 bership in residence up to al)out 300 pupils. Moreover, larger high 

 schools of 300 or more pupils are offering comprehensive programs at 

 lower costs per pupil than small high schools offering very meager pro- 

 grams with a limited faculty. 



There are extreme variations among school districts, more particu- 

 larly with respect to such economic factors as total equalized valuation, 

 equalized valuation per capita, trends in population, and the distribu- 

 tion of taxable property as classified hy the Planning and Development 

 Commission in 1957. It is because of these variations that some districts 

 are more able than others to provide better facilities, pay higher salaries, 

 and have fewer pupils per teacher, and without an appreciable increasJ 

 in the tax rate. 



Local committees could well supplement their studies hy giving 

 thought to these varialjles, and to population and school census trends 

 when attempting to determine the most feasilile plans for local schools, 

 whether it is a matter of abandoning antiquated facilities versus re- 

 placing them, or adding more space, or whether it is a matter of joining 

 a cooperative district or an A.R.E.A. school as proposed by the Interim 

 Commission. Sparsely populated rural districts, in many instances, can 

 ill afford to maintain any schools and should join the ranks of the 13 

 districts which send all of their pupils to neighboring districts on a tui- 

 tion basis. Cost per pupil is not necessarily the final determinant, which 

 is rather one of equal educational opportunity for all youth. Surely such 

 an opportunity will not be attained by the retention of small high 

 schools. Larger, more comprehensive high schools are maintained "at 

 much lower cost per pupil than small high schools. Furthermore, gradu- 

 ates of small high schools do not make progress in college comparable 

 to those who graduate from large high schools. 



An equital)le apportionment of the costs of maintaining a coopera- 

 tive district among the pre-existing districts is a serious problem. In view 

 of the extreme variations in the economy among school districts it is not 

 likely that any formula for apportioning costs of a cooperative district 

 could possibly fit all cases, if any. In this respect the A.R.E.A. (Author- 

 ized Regional Enrollment Area » school as proposed ])y the Interim Com- 

 mission offers a distinct advantage in many cases. Each district would 

 maintain its identity under its own school board, and send its pupils to 

 the A.R.E.A. school on a tuition basis, thereby eliminating the need for 



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