History of Mergers

This is far from the first time the Schenevus and Worcester school districts have considered a merger. Studies were conducted in 1974, 1982, 1989 and 1996. When each of these studies were reviewed, we found slight differences, but the overall themes were similar, and still resonate today:

1974

“Much more than the basic course offerings could be given. Pupil needs could be met better by offering several ability level courses in the mandated areas. Small uneconomic class sizes … could be eliminated.”

1982

“The amount of increase in taxes will be greater if we stay as separate school districts. How much more this will be over the years is just impossible to predict. Program expansion would nearly be out of the question.”

1989

“The world is much smaller. We are no longer an agrarian nation. Technology affects every aspect of daily living. The children of Worcester and Schenevus must be prepared to cope with an increasingly more complex and competitive world.”

1996

“The School Districts of Schenevus and Worcester are among the smallest of school districts in New York State. Their size does not preclude good educational programs, but it does make it difficult to provide such programs in a climate of rising educational standards. Further, it is becoming more and more costly to provide such programs in an area of relatively low wealth.”

How We Got Here

The Sept. 22, 2021, vote is the result of years of discussion and study. The road to a merger proposal began in earnest in 2018, but the issues that brought us here have even deeper roots. In 2018, an audit from the Office of the State Comptroller found that the Schenevus Central School District had appropriated more fund balance than was available for the prior two years. During that time, Schenevus had annually proposed budgets at or below the tax cap, calling for small tax levy increases and using fund balance to make up for the budget shortfall. By 2018, that fund balance was depleted. At that time, based on guidance from state and local finan-cial advisers, it was determined that Schenevus CSD could not continue as a K-12 district based on fixed expenses and available funding sources (including state aid and local taxes). Therefore, Schenevus began to explore two specific solutions to the struc-tural deficit: tuitioning out students to nearby districts, or merging with a neighboring district.

In 2019, Schenevus approached Worcester about an agreement that would allow Schenevus students to attend Worcester Central School, with Schenevus paying tuition to Worcester. In early 2020, after much deliberation, it was decided to instead move forward with an annexation merger study to see if there were opportunities for both districts to benefit from merging.

About Mergers

The merger process is governed by state education law, guided by best practices, and includes the following steps:

Feasibility Study (or merger study). According to the state Education Department, this is necessary so that “the Commissioner can decide whether the proposal has enough advantages to warrant issuing the appropriate formal order(s) so that the districts can proceed through the subsequent legal steps to implement the reorganization.”
Assessment of Public Support (straw poll or petition). “The Commissioner will not take formal action to authorize a reorganization unless there is evidence of support in each of the districts included in the proposed reorganization. Petitions or advisory referendums (straw votes) are normally used as a basis in making this determination.”
Binding Referendum: If the communities show support for a merger, the Commissioner will schedule a referendum. The outcome of this vote is binding, and determines whether the districts will merge.

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