BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Two bills moving through the Alabama Legislature would give neighboring school districts the option to merge, a permissive change supporters say could help some of the state’s smallest and shrinking systems cut overhead and use classroom dollars more efficiently.
The proposals come as some Alabama school districts continue to lose enrollment and operate with fewer than 1,000 students – the enrollment number lawmakers pointed to for examples of districts that could benefit from consolidation.
An Alabama Daily News analysis found 13 such systems: six city districts and seven county districts. Alabama has 67 county and 72 city school districts.
House Bill 178, sponsored by House Education Budget Chairman Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, would allow contiguous city school districts to merge. House Bill 380, sponsored by House Education Policy Chair Terri Collins, R-Decatur, would allow two or more contiguous county school districts to merge into a single district.
Both bills would allow neighboring school boards to agree to consolidate by passing resolutions. If, within 30 days, at least 25% of registered voters living in the affected districts file a written protest, the proposed merger would go to a vote of the people living in those districts.
Garrett and Collins emphasized that their bills allow but do not mandate school districts to consolidate. If passed, the bills would expand current state law, which allows only one type of merger: a city system into a county system.
Garrett said he filed HB178 to give small districts an option as they face declining enrollment while paying high costs for administration and overhead.
“It may make sense for school systems to consolidate,” Garrett told members of the House Education Budget Committee in January.
“Other states do this,” Garrett said. “By consolidating, you’re able to eliminate overhead. You’re able to become more efficient. You’re able to have more impact of the dollars you receive.”
During House debate in February, Garrett also said his bill could help districts get ahead of a possible downturn in education tax revenue in the years ahead.
Collins said she filed HB380 after hearing Garrett present his bill and thinking some small county systems could benefit from the same opportunity to combine resources.
“My goal would be to put a little bit less in administration, get some economies of scale, but mostly be able to put more money back into the classroom,” Collins told the House Education Policy Committee in February.
Her bill would require a constitutional amendment, meaning voters statewide would have to approve it in November if lawmakers pass it this session. Unlike Garrett’s bill, HB380 would also require the state Board of Education to conduct an impact study before a merger could move forward.
While lawmakers promote mergers as a way to help small districts become more efficient, school funding expert Zahava Stadler said simply combining two struggling districts may not do much to transform students’ opportunities.
Stadler leads K-12 school funding research and analysis for New America, a nonpartisan policy organization that researches public problems and proposes ideas for improving how American institutions work.
“If the Legislature is going to consider what school district mergers could bring in terms of efficiency,” Stadler said, “this is also a moment to consider: What do we mean when we say a good school system that offers kids fair opportunity and a well-resourced education?”
She said consolidation discussions can be more meaningful, even transformative, when they focus not only on reducing inefficiencies but also on whether students across district lines have access to strong, well-funded opportunities.
She also said district boundaries can shape how much local funding is available to support students, meaning mergers or boundary changes can sometimes reduce gaps between neighboring systems with very different tax bases.
Her organization published an interactive data visualization as part of their recent report, “Redrawing the Lines,” that includes Alabama scenarios for how school district boundaries could be redrawn through mergers.
Both school district merger bills have cleared the House floor. Collins’ bill is heading to a Senate committee, while Garrett’s bill has already cleared a Senate committee and heads next to the Senate floor.
An Alabama Daily News analysis found six city districts with fewer than 1,000 students: Lanett City in Chambers County, Thomasville City in Clarke County, Sheffield City, Midfield City in Jefferson County, Elba City in Coffee County and Linden City in Marengo County.
The seven county districts with fewer than 1,000 students are Choctaw County, Marengo County, Greene County, Sumter County, Coosa County, Perry County and Barbour County.
The chart below shows district enrollment for each school district from 1995 forward. Use the dropdown menu to choose the district. Click here if you’re unable to see the chart.
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