Information on Options 2 and 5

The Small School Coalition (SSC) has gathered a research library compounding all relevant information to support their conclusion that smaller schools (those with student bodies < 400) offer substantially more benefits compared to their larger counterparts.

Not only do small schools dominate when it comes to academic research, but RIDE recognizes their value and have emphasized the importance in preserving small, neighborhood schools that fit the character of the neighborhoods they're in. This is documented in their building authority regulations, 4.6.6, "Smart Growth Planning."

Another separate organization has found consistency in research determining smaller, more intimate schools offer more academic and social success for students, including fewer social behavior problems, higher extracurricular participation, higher feeling of belongingness, better interpersonal relationships with students and staff, higher attendance, lower dropout rate, better teacher attitudes and collaboration, higher quality of curriculum, and more affordable long term costs.

The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, with a mission of advancing educational excellence, has evaluated outcomes of school consolidation, determining that students' social and academic capital was substantially reduced in municipalities that performed consolidation.

To quote: "Bigger doesn't mean better. More consolidation will push both education costs and student performance in unwanted directions. State policymakers should take note."