As reported in the Democrat on Friday, a draft of the merger study for the Livingston Manor and Roscoe Central School Districts has been released for the public to read. 

This 133-page document represents the culmination of months of committee meetings and painstaking research. It has now been sent to the state Education Department for review.

The study makes accommodations for transportation, a significant point of concern among parents discussing the merger. The two districts are working with Rolling V to create a projection for new bus routes that would avoid the need for a shuttle system.

As reported last week, a final plan is expected to be presented to both districts’ boards of education at a joint meeting in mid-September. 

Following the September meeting, the school boards would individually vote in October, and if both districts pass the vote then the next step would be an Advisory Referendum, where the public would vote in favor of, or against, the merger.

Should the Advisory Referendum pass, the next vote would be the Binding Referendum, and if that vote passes, it would be the final step before the beginning of a new merged school district.

Shared Superintendent John Evans has stated that he’s hopefully optimistic that there will be support for a merger. 

“By objectively looking at the data, there are a lot of pros and reasons why merging makes sense for both communities. In the end, we have to do what is best for the kids. Change is difficult for everyone, but we’ve shown, especially in the last few years, that we’re capable of adapting to changes,” Evans said.

Talk about merging the Roscoe and Livingston Manor School districts has persisted for a long time. Based on what we’ve seen, we believe the time has come to make these plans a reality. 

It makes sense that the two districts could be better off by combining resources in the face of decreasing enrollment. The two districts already share a superintendent and many sports teams are also combined.

We understand some residents may be apprehensive about change, but the  anticipated financial and program benefits to a new, combined school district will be better for students and, in the long run, better for both communities.