Surprise! It’s small schools

The equation just changed.
In a surprising move, school Superintendent Pam Moran recommended that Albemarle County keep three small southern elementary schools open — with upgrades, renovations and expansions — rather than close them and consolidate.
Why is that a surprise?
Simply because, in our observation, school chiefs often pick consolidation.
Usually it’s a straightforward money issue. When closures and consolidation are proposed, it is often due to a scenario similar to Albemarle’s today: Older schools that once served their communities well have become outdated. But it is generally more economical to build and operate a new school than to renovate old ones. Economics dictates the most tax-efficient answer.
For Albemarle, new construction would be more expensive than renovation, but the savings would come in operations. Running three small, older schools would cost about $708,000 more per year than operating a new, energy-efficient building. (Yet to be determined is the cost of acquiring more land at Yancey Elementary to expand the septic field, but that price is unlikely to tip the balance.)
That Albemarle can consider the three-school option is a reflection of the county’s overall economic strength. Most counties couldn’t afford even to contemplate a choice that annually would cost an extra three-quarters of a million dollars.
Residents of the three communities that host the small schools — Scottsville, Red Hill and Esmont — argued that there are other reasons to keep the schools open. Some of these cannot be measured in economics.
Local schools are indeed — as advocates argued — the heart of a small community. It is easier for parents to become involved in school activities when schools are physically close to them and accessible. Working with others on school projects brings parents together as a community, while also providing a good role model for pupils. Children who see their parents involved learn from them that education is important.
There are also indications that children thrive in a small-school environment where they are noticed and appreciated as individuals, rather than getting lost in the crowd at a large school. Not everyone agrees on the worth of this big-fish-in-a-small-pond argument: Some children feel stifled in a small environment, and larger schools often can offer extra programs and better facilities to students through the advantage of economy of scale. Still, that small schools can serve as an embracing community for youngsters is a compelling argument.
The county School Board must make a decision (it holds a public hearing tonight at 7 in Monticello High School), and the Board of Supervisors must decide whether to fund that decision. Whether Albemarle can truly afford an extra three-quarters of a million dollars per year soon will be debated.
But the three-school recommendation from Dr. Moran is not only surprising, it is satisfying. The value of community schools may not be quantifiable to everyone’s liking, but that value is undeniable nonetheless.