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What would Southwest Virginia look like if it consolidated?


HowTheWestWasWon2017
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Yeah, especially in Nebraska schools have cut ties with the County wide school systems and have isolated to consolidated districts. 

 

Schools very close to each other but separated by county lines consolidate and it seems to have worked out well.

 

With that in mind, maybe a Richlands/Twin Valley, Honaker/Council, Graham/Tazewell/Rocky Gap, and a Castlewood/St. Paul/ Ervinton consolidation among others could be in the mix at some point. 

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Yeah, especially in Nebraska schools have cut ties with the County wide school systems and have isolated to consolidated districts.

 

Schools very close to each other but separated by county lines consolidate and it seems to have worked out well.

 

With that in mind, maybe a Richlands/Twin Valley, Honaker/Council, Graham/Tazewell/Rocky Gap, and a Castlewood/St. Paul/ Ervinton consolidation among others could be in the mix at some point.

That was Pennsylvania's solution some odd decades ago. In related news, Pennsylvania's educational system is hemorrhaging money quicker than Budd Dwyer's nose hemorrhaged blood.

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That was Pennsylvania's solution some odd decades ago. In related news, Pennsylvania's educational system is hemorrhaging money quicker than Budd Dwyer's nose hemorrhaged blood.

 

So you're saying because one state did something similar and is failing that it wouldn't work in Virginia?

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So you're saying because one state did something similar and is failing that it wouldn't work in Virginia?

Those who neglect history are doomed to repeat it.

 

Seriously, such a format works well in rural, flat areas, but is ill-suited for a state that is much more densely populated and has widely varying topography. The only example you posed that makes any sense is consolidating Council, but I am very leery about sending a bus across Big A. Ridgeview is probably the safer choice.

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Those who neglect history are doomed to repeat it.

 

Seriously, such a format works well in rural, flat areas, but is ill-suited for a state that is much more densely populated and has widely varying topography. The only example you posed that makes any sense is consolidating Council, but I am very leery about sending a bus across Big A. Ridgeview is probably the safer choice.

 

I find it hard to believe that such a format couldn't work in SWVA. 

 

Let's use the Council/Honaker consolidation as an example. They are already kids on top of Big A mountain attending both schools, they make this drive every day. I'm hard pressed to think that a drive from Council to almost Clintwood is safer than to Honaker.

 

It's not like people don't cross mountains already to get to schools.

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So hypothetical with this region format,

You could close union and Lee create a school in Dryden and service both, follow that by closing wise central and eastside and halfway between those 2 schools create a school and essentially created 2 schools to replace 4?

 

Don't burn me at the stack, I am just using an example to understand this region format. On paper that sounds logical, but in reality, politics and vhsl classification would stop this before it ever happened.

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Seems to work find for NSAA in Nebraska and the NYSPHSAA in New York just to name a few. 

 

Also, granted that Nebraska is flat the majority of New York is not. 

 

Some roads in the Adirondacks are comparable to those in Southwest Virginia, trust me. 

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Those who neglect history are doomed to repeat it.

 

Seriously, such a format works well in rural, flat areas, but is ill-suited for a state that is much more densely populated and has widely varying topography. The only example you posed that makes any sense is consolidating Council, but I am very leery about sending a bus across Big A. Ridgeview is probably the safer choice.

Have you been in Buchanan County? Big A is safer than many bus routes that exist in Buchanan County. Also safer to travel almost triple the miles and time to Ridgeview.... I don't see it.
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Those who neglect history are doomed to repeat it.

 

Which is precisely why a cooperative approach would likely never gain traction in SWVA.  Everyone has their own narrative and agenda.  Just read through this thread.

 

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.

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Which is precisely why a cooperative approach would likely never gain traction in SWVA.  Everyone has their own narrative and agenda.  Just read through this thread.

 

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.

Nailed it! 

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So hypothetical with this region format,

You could close union and Lee create a school in Dryden and service both, follow that by closing wise central and eastside and halfway between those 2 schools create a school and essentially created 2 schools to replace 4?

Don't burn me at the stack, I am just using an example to understand this region format. On paper that sounds logical, but in reality, politics and vhsl classification would stop this before it ever happened.

Counties losing ultimate control would be the major issue. A regional setup would have worked well before consolidation.

 

Think lower end of Lee and middle Lee going to Lee, while Eastern Lee and Keokee going to PV. A lot of that is happening anyway, this way it would just be official

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Haven't heard many rumblings of consolidation in Russell County, but don't see them going to one high school unless numbers really drop significantly more than they have. They could conceivably go to two high schools if pushed financially by closing Castlewood and bus them to Lebanon, redraw the lines and have all the students that live in Elk Garden,Rosedale, and North on 19 to the Tazewell County line who currently are bused to Lebanon reroute to Honaker which is the closer school. And in the future build a school in the Rosedale community. Thus far Russell has taken the approach of closing several elementary schools over the years while not ruffling the feathers over the high schools. For the eastern end school how does the Rosedale Renegades sound? Or Clinch Mountain High Copperheads?

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Haven't heard many rumblings of consolidation in Russell County, but don't see them going to one high school unless numbers really drop significantly more than they have. They could conceivably go to two high schools if pushed financially by closing Castlewood and bus them to Lebanon, redraw the lines and have all the students that live in Elk Garden,Rosedale, and North on 19 to the Tazewell County line who currently are bused to Lebanon reroute to Honaker which is the closer school. And in the future build a school in the Rosedale community. Thus far Russell has taken the approach of closing several elementary schools over the years while not ruffling the feathers over the high schools. For the eastern end school how does the Rosedale Renegades sound? Or Clinch Mountain High Copperheads?

 

Renegades...nah.  Copperheads...heck yeh!

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