Merger idea has merit

The idea of merging Dorchester County's two school districts isn't new. But it has gained renewed momentum. Leaders of both districts, along with the county's state legislators, should fairly and fully review the case for consolidation.

Sen. Mike Rose, R-Dorchester, told us last week that he's "all for" consolidation if it will produce "increased efficiency, lower costs and higher standards." But he also stressed, "We have to get the facts first."

Judging from some indisputable facts already known, a merger would likely produce significant savings in administration expenses. That's a critical task with the recession painfully squeezing public education funding.

Consolidating Dorchester District 2, with 21 schools, and Dorchester District 4, with five, would create a single district of 26 schools. With 80 schools in Charleston County's lone district and 38 in Berkeley's, that hardly seems an untenable amount.

And beyond the practical economic motivation for a merger, Sen. Rose pointed out that each Dorchester district "has some things that would be of value" to the other. Those potentially mutually beneficial assets include District 4's extra classroom space and District 2's deeper resources and proven teaching talent.

Still, lingering divisions and doubts must be resolved to bring the districts together. District 4 is in the northern, rural part of the county around St. George. Its schools have significantly larger percentages of minority and low-income students than most District 2 schools. District 4 schools, like so many with such demographics, generally struggle to meet minimum academic standards. District 2, in the suburban-sprawl zone containing and increasingly surrounding Summerville, has a much higher percentage of students from average- and higher-income families — and generally impressive academic results.

Such differences help explain why District 4 leaders have been wary of being "swallowed" by District 2. District 4 School Board Chairman Kenneth Jenkins recently told our reporter that while he's receptive to considering consolidation, "Folks out here see Summerville as the big fish, and we could easily be consumed."

But District 2 Superintendent Joe Pye, who broached consolidation anew during a school board meeting a few weeks ago at the prompting of some of the panel's members, has offered assurances that a merger would not represent a District 2 takeover of District 4.

Sen. Rose aptly assessed the challenge for consolidation supporters: "We need to figure out how to make it a win-win for everybody."

The senator advocates learning valuable lessons from district mergers in Orangeburg and Sumter counties. He insists that the "rural-urban split" between the districts is closing due to population growth in the upper part of Dorchester county.

"I just urge everybody to deal with facts and reality, not unfounded fears, and to keep our eye on the ball," Sen. Rose says. "The target is how to get the best education for the children."

Merging the Dorchester districts to enhance the best of both sounds like a promising path toward that goal.