Dec 11, 2016 By Tim Mahoney 2 min read

As I read the Herald-Standard’s Dec. 7 story, “Connellsville Area School District administration outlines possible school closing plan” — which revealed the intent to close four of the district’s eight elementary schools — it seemed like someone had lifted lines straight from the press releases and commentaries I put out for most of my 10 years as a state representative.

Knowing that the CASD high command wanted nothing to do with my proposal to consolidate the administrations of Fayette County’s public school districts to save money and improve education, I about fell out of my chair when I saw Superintendent Phil Martell’s quote that, “Rightsizing isn’t a negative term.”

That’s what I have been saying since 2011. But it got better the more I read. CASD officials said curriculum is fragmented and not aligned to state standards, the district produces low scores on some state performance assess ments, and class sizes vary from 15 to 31.

Consolidating schools, they said, would help cure those ills, balancing class sizes and ensuring that students in all schools have access to the same learning materials and instruction levels. They even said the change would provide more technology and expanded learning opportunities, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Were they reading my mind, in addition to my printed materials? I’ve been advocating those same things for years, albeit on a countywide level. The story also quoted a teacher as saying her school is in such poor condition, it should either be repaired or closed. Again, this is something that I’ve talked about for years — how the day was coming that these decisions would be forced on our schools because of declining student enrollment and tax base.

It’s good to see the CASD finally mustering the courage to use the dreaded “C” word in the education vocabulary. “Consolidation” apparently isn’t such a bad concept these days, at least in the Connellsville Area School District. But the greater opportunity — for saving taxpayer money and substantially upgrading education — is moving toward a countywide system, because that would yield even better results for everyone.

Tim Mahoney, a Democrat, served for 10 years in the state House of Representatives, representing the 51st Legislative District, which included parts of Fayette and Somerset. He was defeated in his re-election bid last November by Republican Matt Dowling.