When Bigger Isn’t Better

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Published in Deseret News, I explored the potential direct and indirect influence of the size of a Public School District (i.e., number of students) on student outcomes. After reviewing existing literature, I found that there were drawbacks to districts that are too small or too large.

"Despite the debate over larger versus smaller school districts, there is an intersection of agreement across models — that is, districts that are too large or too small are ineffective and don’t save on cost. For example, one analysis found that 6,000 to 7,000 students were an optimal size because these districts benefited from scale economies whereas schools greater than 7,000 experienced diminished returns of their cost savings and suffered from scale (dis)economies."

Finally, I end by urging readers to consider whether we should question the size of some school districts in Utah.

"Our LEAs’ main goal should be to make decisions that best position Utah students in their communities to succeed while optimizing taxpayer dollars. If that is agreed, then it is worth studying the size of school districts. And it is worth asking: What are we sacrificing if we don’t?"

Read more by visiting the Op-Ed on Deseret News.