School district consolidation: A case study of deliberation and the rational and emotional arguments of a dissenting town

Since the late 19th century, school district consolidation has occurred in every state. Viewed as a solution to pressures of increasing costs, declining populations, and educational inequity, small communities resist consolidation and cite a potential loss of both local control and identity. Citizen volunteers deliberate about consolidation measures in public meetings. Deliberative processes involve both emotional and rational arguments and often result in consensus. Very little research has examined the intersection of school district consolidation and deliberative decision-making processes. This study considers six municipalities in a Northeastern U.S. rural community as they engage in a yearlong process to consolidate school districts. The study examines the deliberations of a committee of 15 representative volunteer citizens engaged in creating a legal document. Observations, audio and video analysis, transcript and document review, journaling, and committee member interviews form the data. The discussions in the meetings are analyzed for the topics of educational cost, quality, and local control, and the intersection with rational discourse and emotional rhetoric. The study was designed to understand the impact of specific school district consolidation topics and emotional and rational deliberations on the meeting processes and outcomes. Findings show a disproportional amount of time spent in meetings addressing a specific town. Data concerning the town contained more emotional discourse than rational argument. The results of this study illustrate argument patterns, a heightened presence of emotional rhetoric, and disproportionate attention to one municipality. Within the meeting deliberations, members from the one municipality dissented. Additionally, on election day, the same municipality dissented while all other towns supported consolidation. The specific topics people argue about and the manner in which they do so are shown to influence a school district consolidation process. This study provides a deep look into the deliberations of a consolidation committee, and offers insight into how dissenting opinions splinter from a majority voice. It sheds light on the work of deliberative theorists and the role of rational and emotional arguments in the process. It can inform theoretical models of deliberative decision-making and the practical structures of school governance