Intermediate Units
Figure 7.3
213
Declining Number of Public-School Districts, 1930–2012
150 130,000+ (estimated)
NUMBER (THOUSANDS)
125
117,108
100 83,718 75
50
40,520
25
0
17,995
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970 YEAR
15,625
15,367
14,805
13,567
1980
1990
2000
2012
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Centre for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), “Local Education Agency Universe Survey,” 2010–11 and 2011–12. (This table was prepared January 2014.)
FOCUS As you follow various news media in your area, what educational issues are discussed at the local school district level? How do these issues impact board members, the superintendent, school principals, and the community in the local district in which you have your internships?
today continue the push for consolidation as enrollment numbers in rural districts continue to decline. States such as Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Nebraska, New York, and Vermont are enacting merger plans that encourage district consolidation. Maine, for example, enacted legislation in 2007 that mandated the state’s 290 school districts consolidate into 80 districts.42 Consolidating districts usually means closing schools, and this has proved to be a serious and emotional matter, especially in small and rural districts where the local school is likely the focal point of community identity. A less drastic method of consolidation is for neighboring districts to share programs and personnel.43
7-2 Intermediate Units intermediate unit or regional educational service agency (RESA) An educational unit or agency in the
middle position between the state department of education and the local school district; usually created by the state to provide supplementary services and support staff to local school districts.
The term intermediate unit or regional educational service agency (RESA) refers to an office or agency in a middle position between the state department of education and local school districts. This agency provides coordination and supplementary services to local districts, and it links local and state educational authorities. The intermediate unit is usually a legal and political extension of the state department of education
42 Craig Howley, Jerry Johnson, and Jennifer Petrie, Consolidation of Schools and Districts: What the Research Says and What It Means (Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center, 2011) at http:// nepc.colorado.edu/publication/consolidation-schools-districts (January 22, 2015); and Scott Lafee, “The Emotions of Consolidation,” School Administrator (June 2014), pp. 14–19. 43 Charles S. Dedrick, “Leadership Squeeze of Proposed Mergers,” School Administrator (June 2014), pp. 20–27.
Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
