1. The Crossroad of Challenge
and Opportunity in Fiscally
Stressed Schools and
Communities
John W. Sipple, PhD
Associate Professor
NYS Center for Rural Schools (NYRuralSchools.org)
Community and Regional Development Institute
Cornell University
North Country Symposium, April 2013

2. My Goals
• Stimulate a discussion of opportunity in an era of
challenge
• Share insight from recent research on the
interface between schools and the communities
they serve.
• Offer a view of schools linked to communities
• Offer tools & ideas: Immediate and long-range.

3. Central Questions
• Schools Communities
• Communities Schools
• When did Schools and Communities become
separate?
• What are key Policies/Programs?
• What should WE do?

4. A bit of History
• 1910 - Administrative Progressives
• 1953 - US Dept. of Health, Education & Welfare
• 1979
US Dept. of Education
US Dept. of Health and Human Services

5. The Real World?
Schooling
Jobs
Early
Care
Families
Communities
Health
Nutrition
Opportunity Assets

6. Today in NYS
Health
Dept.
Office of
Children
and
Family
Services
Education
Dept.
Labor
Dept.
Jobs
Early
Care
Schooling Families Communities

7. “Integrated, Basic
Science of Pediatrics”

8. A new perspective
Shonkoff et al (2012). Pediatrics.

9. Key Tensions & Actions
Short-Term Long-Term
School-based
Big
Community-
based Also Big

10. Key Policy Levers (e.g.)
• Early care and UPK
• District Consolidation/School Closure
• Curriculum (Local vs. Common Core)
• Teacher Hiring
• Teacher Quality (APPR)
• Revenues? Expenditures?
• Each of these shapes schools and communities

11. PAD County Profile
(Pad.human.cornell.edu)

13. Ability to Pay
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
$300,000
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Median Income Wealth/Pupil
NYC
Big 4
Small City
HN Rural
Ave Need
Low Need

14. Ability to Levy Tax
$0
$200,000
$400,000
$600,000
$800,000
$1,000,000
$1,200,000
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Median Property Wealth/Pupil
NYC
Big 4
Small City
HN Rural
Ave Need
Low Need
$20/$1000 = $20,000/pupil

15. Lyson Hypothesis
• A school is vital to the survival of rural
communities.
• Viable villages generally contain schools: dying
and dead ones either lack them or do not have
them for long.
• The capacity to maintain a school is a continuing
indicator of a community's wellbeing.
• School district consolidation has deleterious
effects on small rural communities.

16. Rural Villages in NYS
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
Small with
school
Small without
school
Large with
school
Large without
school
Numberofvillage
1990
2000
2010

18. Lyson Redux
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000
50,000
55,000
60,000
65,000
1990 2000 2010
Median House value (1990 $)
SM-School
SM-No School
LG-School
LG-No School

19. Lyson Redux
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000
1990 2000 2010
Household Income (1990 $)
SM-School
SM-No School
LG-School
LG-No School

20. HH Inc
2000
HH Inc
2010
PerCap Inc
2000
PerCap Inc
2010
H Value
2000
H Value
2010
Large
+ +
School
+
School X
Size -
<39
- - - - - -
W Child
+ + + + + +
% White
- - - - -
White collar
+ + + + + +
Self Employ
+ + + + + +
No Commute
R2 .79 .60 .73 .57 .71 .51

21. 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
% of 4 year olds in UPK Program by NRC Category and
Year
Big 4
HN Sub/City
HN Rural
Ave Need
Low Need

22. 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Infants Toddlers PreSchool
Percent of Age Eligible Children Served by NRC
Categories
Big 4
HN Sub/City
HN Rural
Ave Need
Low Need

23. Capacity of Communities to Serve Age Cohorts by NRC
Categories in 2007
Big 4
HN
Sub/City HN Rural Ave Need Low Need Total
No UPK
# Districts 4 29 162 102 297
Infants 4% 3% 8% 10% 8%
Toddlers 12% 5% 13% 19% 14%
Preschoolers 165% 41% 44% 61% 51%
With UPK
# Districts 4 40 125 195 32 396
Infants 13% 14% 5% 9% 14% 8%
Toddlers 26% 23% 7% 16% 30% 15%
Preschoolers 73% 91% 47% 55% 86% 59%

24. Capacity of Communiites to Serve Age Cohorts by NRC Categories
in 2007
Big 4
HN
Sub/City HN Rural Ave Need Low Need Total
No UPK
# Districts 4 29 162 102 297
Infants 4% 3% 8% 10% 8%
Toddlers 12% 5% 13% 19% 14%
Preschoolers 165% 41% 44% 61% 51%
With UPK
# Districts 4 40 125 195 32 396
Infants 13% 14% 5% 9% 14% 8%
Toddlers 26% 23% 7% 16% 30% 15%
Preschoolers 73% 91% 47% 55% 86% 59%

25. Teacher Labor Markets
Killeen, Loeb & Williams (2013)

26. Next Steps – What to do?
• Easy access to Data – Tools (NYRuralSchools.org)
• Informed Local Decision making
• Local and Regional Analysis and Planning
• Demographics & Enrollment
• Financial Planning/Scenarios
• District Reorganization Analysis
• Public Participation and Communication

27. Budget Playground

28. Reorganizer

29. Recent Trends

30. Universities and Higher Ed
• Market forces
• Competition and Access
• Technology
• MOOCs
• Public Good
• Utilitarian/Professional vs. Academic