Consolidate, consolidate, consolidate
By Rich Luongo
The Camden County schools superintendent wants the school districts of Collingswood, Woodlynne, and Oaklyn (my town) to come up with a plan for consolidation with a single superintendent of schools for this one new, united school district by Dec. 1. Wonderful. Fantastic. Couldn't come too soon.
Oaklyn has a single school building with about 900 kids who attend grades K-9. Those ninth-graders make up Oaklyn Junior High School. After that they go to Collingswood HS. Woodlynne has one elementary school and those kids also go to Collingswood, which has several elementary schools, a high school, and a junior high.
Oaklyn has a superintendent who's retiring after this school year. The school also has a principal. The super is in charge of the district (a single school building) and the principal is in charge of the school (again, one single building). The stupidity of this needs no comment.
Woodlynne has a temporary superintendent and, if the gods are smiling down on us, he won't be made permanent.
The logical choice for overall superindent is Scott Oswald, Collingswood's chief administrator.
Taxpayers in Woodlynne and Oaklyn would be saved the cost of the superintendents' salaries — about a $100,000 each — and the salaries of their support staffs. Without the superintendent, they're not needed. That could be the beginning of saving money for the taxpayers. Remember, 70+% of your property tax bill goes to support your school district.
One way or another officials — elected, hired, or appointed — will be and must be forced to go easy with our money or they'll be forced to pay the consequences.
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