Report on School Growth and Enrollment Policies

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population, private and parochial school growth. A special census should be made, if necessary.

1. Make special area studies of these factors as a basis for the assumptions or judgments involved in estimation of future enrollment.

2. Use a tested method of forecasting enrollment on the basis of this information.

3. Exercise care in the interpretation and use of enrollment estimates, being careful to identify temporary increases and avoid over-estimation.

4. Adopt policies and standards relative to type, size, design, construction and cost of any new or additional facilities.

5. Adopt policies and take steps to handle peak or temporary enrollment increases.

6. Determine what additional facilities are required to house the probable long-range enrollment in the area.

7. Make plans for converting new facilities to other uses in the event of error in the long-range estimate.

Other studies which should provide helpful guidance on this problem are under way.

Enlarging School Districts

Experience throughout the State has demonstrated that large school districts offer the best opportunities to achieve maximum utilization of school buildings, greatest economy in construction costs, ability to adjust facilities to the fluctuations of school enrollments and most effective use of local borrowing and taxing power.

However, there are 2,295 small common school districts still numbered among the 3,143 school districts in this State. Nearly half of these common school districts (1,132) do not operate schools, but contract with other types of districts for instruction of their children. The remaining common school district[s] for education of high school students contract with other types of districts for education of high school students. Some of the union free school districts and a few of the central districts also do not have high schools.

Many of the contract districts are clustered around cities and other large population centers and help complicate the school building problems of these areas.

In view of these facts, the Commission, with the co-operation of the State Education Department, completed a study of the problems which contract districts and non-resident pupils have created. It also studied the practical obstacles which have prevented enlargement of the city school districts.

The Commission found that localities, with the assistance of the State Education Department, have made good progress in eliminating small school districts. Since July 1, 1950, 265 union free and common school districts have been eliminated by local action, bringing the total number eliminated since 1915 to more than 7,000. Most of those eliminated in the past 18 months were absorbed into 15 central districts, bringing the total of central districts to 424. However, much remains to be done.

In attempting to draw its 1947 Master Plan for completing the centralization of rural schools, the Joint Legislative Committee on the State Education System found areas adjacent to many cities and larger villages that did not readily fit into any proposed central school district and that, standing alone, could not provide an adequate educational program.

Since legal restrictions at that time precluded the annexation of school districts to most cities, the Master Plan attached the approximately 500 districts in these areas to 38 cities and marked them “left for future determination.” For example, 62 districts were listed under Corning and 42 under Ithaca.

[stamp: New York State Education Department]