A REAL Educational Study - Now More Important Than Ever

I have been asked why I, a Middletown Town Councilor, have made it my mission to promote high school consolidation in Newport County. My answer is that high school consolidation is not only about education; it is also about economics. Everyone knows that people - and businesses – gravitate to an area where the schools are outstanding. Not only do good schools contribute to the quality of life, but they also develop a workforce that encourages the growth of the job market and, by extension, increases the vitality and economic health of a community. I care about the quality of education in Newport County, but I care as much – maybe even more - about the economic growth of the community that will improve the overall quality of life for those who choose to live here.

Background

In June 2010, the Middletown Town Council appointed a Middletown Regional Planning Committee to explore the concept of school regionalization as it would apply to Middletown. The Middletown Regional Planning Committee recommended a phase-in process, beginning with a consolidated regional high school. “The Effects of Enrollment on Quality Education Grades 9-12: A Study of the Benefits of Critical Mass” is an expansion of the data collected by that committee, which supports the contention that there are not only educational benefits but also economic benefits for the community related to high school consolidation.

The purpose of the report was to explore the potential educational benefits from the consolidation of 3 or more of the 4 Newport County high schools to produce a diverse program of opportunities for a critical mass of students leading to a workforce that would attract economic development to Aquidneck Island.

Rhode Island is a small state with 36 school districts and 40 public high schools. Four of those high schools are regional – Exeter-West Greenwich, Mt Hope (Bristol-Warren), Ponaganset (Foster, Glocester, North Scituate), and Chariho (Charlestown, Richmond, and Hopkinton).

Each town in Newport County has its own district high school. There are also 2 K-8 districts – Jamestown and Little Compton – which send their high school students to North Kingstown and Portsmouth, respectively.

As other district enrollments have climbed due to the influx of residents, especially in the cities, those in Newport County have declined as has the census, at least partially because of the cost of living on Aquidneck Island. Three of the four Newport County high school enrollments are among the lowest in the state.

Educational Findings

The study shows that there does not seem to be any correlation among school size and the results of state assessments or the SAT. It is worth noting, however, that the regional districts performed competitively with the Newport County schools.

In a comparison of Advanced Placement in the Newport County and regional schools, a regional high school had the best results (85%), offered the fewest AP courses, and had the highest graduation rate.

None of the Newport County schools achieved the graduation rate of the regionals. The average percentage of students who achieved AP college mastery (a minimum score of 3 on a 5 point scale) in the largest regional school was higher than that of any of the Newport County schools. .

So what can be said about Advanced Placement as a way to assess the academic program of a school? Not much, when other options such as the Early Enrollment Program (EEP), Dual Enrollment, and the International Baccalaureate are considered.

A slightly better indication of the success of a high school is the Graduation Rate. It is interesting that the graduation rates of the regional high schools are higher than those of any of the Newport County high schools. This data speaks for itself.

Programs of Studies from 20 Rhode Island high schools and 6 Massachusetts high schools were compared regarding student opportunities as they related to enrollment.

It was found that size makes a difference in the number of electives offered in the basics – English, Math, Science, and Social Studies –not much in Music and more in Art and Drama. Larger schools generally offer more foreign languages and a longer sequence of languages.

It is the career-related electives and programs that seem to be the most affected by school size. Family & Consumer Science, including Child Development, has been phased out of some schools. Business and Technology courses are still offered, but size and availability makes a difference, especially in terms of a sequence of skill-developing courses.

The unavailability of courses and course sequences in Career Preparation forces students to choose between leaving their home schools to attend the Career & Technical School or sacrificing their personal preferences and possible career choices.

Every adult who has ever attended high school knows that the chances of being able to take a preferred elective course depend on whether or not it fits into the student’s schedule and that the possibilities are increased by the number of sections of the course that are available in different time periods. Larger enrollments mean more sections of each elective.

Economic Issues

Middletown data was compared across the board with comparable data from the other Newport County high schools and the RI regional high schools as they relate to school enrollment. Two areas are due serious consideration.

The first is per pupil spending. Data show that property values and higher median income result in a comparably lower tax rate. The data also reveal the relation between academic programming and economic growth. It is not much of a leap to say that economic development increases property values, attracts the development of high range homes, increases the tax base, and results in a lower or at least a more stable tax rate.

The second important factor is student/teacher ratio. Middletown had the lowest student/teacher ratio among the 8 districts on which this report is focused and even among the other selected RI (20) and MA (6) districts. There is a direct correlation between the number of teachers and the costs for instruction.

There is not an appreciable difference in total school expenditures and per pupil spending on instruction between the regional schools as a group and the Newport County schools. It should be noted that, according to state data, the total expenditures of Bristol-Warren include new FY08 debt service. When this expenditure is not included, the Bristol-Warren total expenditures are $13,736, lower than that of Middletown, whereas the amount Bristol-Warren spends on instruction is higher than that spent in Middletown but, apparently, in ways other than teacher salaries.

The inadequate availability of career related programs means a lack of workplace skill and training that discourages local economic development. Economic development depends on an educational program that produces the necessary workforce.

Real savings – initial one-time savings that would become stable – would come from consolidation into one facility, resulting in reduced energy costs as well as reductions in maintenance, custodial, and food service staff.

The investment in costly renovations of old and tired buildings is not a good use of funding. For example, needed repairs at Newport’s Career & Technical School have been projected at nearly $1 million for a building where 73% of the students are from Newport and only 27% from other communities. It is a logical assumption that more students from all the towns would be interested in an expanded career and/or technical program that is centrally located and reasonably accessible to all the Newport County students.

Schools that have career and technical schools in adjacent or integrated campuses are at a distinct advantage over those who send students off campus. Career and technical opportunities prepare students for a variety of careers, from carpentry to graphic design to engineering, etc. Off campus programs, however, do not attract many students from the surrounding areas. The answer lies in consolidating enrollments in a centrally-located regional high school and providing a new facility that integrates academic learning with career building on the same site.

Size correlates with opportunity. Schools are the economic engines of the community. Differences in the ability of graduates to find career-based employment or the ability of college educated graduates to find employment on Aquidneck Island depends heavily on the commitment of their high school to provide skill training and academic options that enable long range, successful career choices and promote the economic growth of the local job market through business and investment.

High schools provide a baseline of academic knowledge, but good high schools promote high achievement to enable students to succeed in post secondary education as well as produce a skilled workforce that draws economic investment in the community. Economic investment produces jobs that require skills, training, higher education, and professional competence.

The goal of these high schools is stable employment for those who complete their educations at grade 12 and even better opportunities for those who seek higher education and later enhance their communities when they bring their gifts home. College graduates will go elsewhere if there is no market for their talents on Aquidneck Island.

A consolidation of Newport County high schools would result in a culture of equals. It would require at least three districts to promote trust and ensure equitable governance. A critical mass of students would allow the expansion and increased capacity of programs, increased scheduling flexibility, and the standardization of curriculum and high level of expectations.

There are enormous benefits for both the students and for the residents of Newport County to be gained by consolidation of our high schools. This issue is not cultural attachments to individual schools. It is about what is best for students and what is most economically beneficial for this entire area of the state.