By Rupert Howell

South Panola Schools Superintendent Dr. Keith Shaffer criticized criteria used in a study that would merge South and North Panola School Districts as well as 17 other districts across the state at Tuesday’s monthly board meeting of the South Panola trustee board.

A Colorado consulting firm identified 18 districts that they say, if merged into neighboring districts, could save costs and improve test scores.

John Augenblick, president of Augenblick, Palaich and Associates Inc., delivered the findings to a panel Gov. Haley Barbour contacted in 2009 to study school consolidation.

Fourteen of the consolidations were chosen because of small size, low scores or high per-pupil administrative costs. Another four districts, including North Panola, were chosen solely on the basis  of scoring well below average on the accountability assessment according to published reports.

North Panola Conservator Glenn Swann, who began working in the district only weeks ago, did not speculate on how the issue could affect the county.

Swann did question the specifics of the study.

 “Looking at it on the surface, there was some ambiguity in the recommendations they made,” Swann said. “I could name you 10 other counties that in my view should have been on the list.”

Swann also said he believed there could be some situations where school consolidation probably would be in best interest for students and community, but said he was not familiar enough with Panola County to speculate on the local impact.

“There are times and places and situations where consolidation makes sense, but you’ve got to figure out what you’re basing it on,” Shaffer said.

Shaffer said the current plan is “much ado about posturing and politics.

“If you’re basing the decision on education priorities that’s one thing. If you’re basing it on QDI (Quality Distribution Index) that’s one thing and if you’re basing it on enrollment, that’s something else. You just can’t pick and choose,” Shaffer told his trustee board.

“Serious decisions need to be made about consolidation but not based on the politics of the moment. Pick a criteria and deal with it,” Shaffer said.

Other districts recommended for consolidation Shaw, Okolona, Hazlehurst, Jefferson Davis County, Aberdeen, Montgomery County, Oktibbeha County, Quitman County, Drew, Indianola, West Tallahatchie, Hollandale, Coahoma County, Kemper County and Coffeeville.