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Does the additional financial aid available through consolidation with another school division offset the benefits of local control in a continuing independent operation?
That’s the question that the Rappahannock School Board has asked Dr. David Gangel, its new superintendent, to answer.
Information on the financial incentives for school division consolidation was passed on to the superintendent at the School Board’s meeting July 14 with a request for ftirther study and a later report.
The information came from county accountant Wally Cox via the Board of Supervisors. In a client bulletin dated May 25, Mr. Cox noted that if Rappahannock should consolidate with another school division, the county’s new composite index figure would be lower, meaning more in basic aid from Richmond.
(The composite index is a figure derived from a formula based on property values, sales tax revenue and personal income by which a locality’s ability to pay for education is figured and which determines the amount of aid for education the locality receives from the state. Due to land values here, Rappahannock’s composite index is among Virginia’s highest, leaving the county judged well able to pay for education with local dollars.)
According to Mr. Cox, should Rappahannock merge its schools with another locality, the governing body could ask the State Board of Education for the lower of the composite indices of the consolidating school divisions.
Mr. Cox cited the Alleghany Highlands consolidated school division as an example of the financial benefits, calling it “the forerunner of the new policy, for that consolidation of Clifton Forge and Alleghany County school divisions currently receives $140,415 additional basic state school aid on the basis of the composite index computed for Alleghany County separately.” He points out that this consolidation option is available to all school divisions.
While citing the financial benefits, the accountant does acknowledge possible drawbacks in
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