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Board accepts Prismatic consolidation study findings; seeks joint letter with Asheville City Schools to the General Assembly
Summary
After a yearlong process with Prismatic Services, the Buncombe County Board of Education signaled consensus to accept the consultant's recommendation against consolidation and agreed to pursue a joint, high-level letter with Asheville City Schools reporting fulfillment of the study requirement to the General Assembly.
The Buncombe County Board of Education signaled its acceptance of the Prismatic Services school consolidation study and agreed to pursue a joint letter with Asheville City Schools to inform the General Assembly that both districts have met the statutory study requirement.
Chairman Elliott described the study process, noting joint sessions with Asheville City Schools and county commissioners. Prismatic's report concluded there was no clear path to improved student achievement from consolidation, limited taxpayer savings (less than 1% of the combined budget), and limited community support for consolidation. Board member Greg Cheatham summarized key takeaways: "the study could find no clear path to improving student achievement... couldn't find many ways that we would be saving a lot of money... and ... there just wasn't a real strong support in our communities to support consolidation."
Board members expressed support for continuing collaboration with Asheville City Schools on areas identified by the consultant that benefit students, and they sought consensus to work on a joint letter to the General Assembly acknowledging that the study requirement was met and stating both boards' positions. County staff will submit the consultant report to the legislature as required; the board agreed to draft a joint high-level letter with Asheville City Schools that accepts Prismatic's recommendation and outlines shared next steps for student-focused collaboration.
Why it matters: The General Assembly required this study; the consultant's conclusion against consolidation reduces the likelihood that consolidation will be imposed by state action. The board said it will nonetheless pursue collaborative efforts and identified district improvement priorities from the study.
Next steps: County staff will transmit the report to the General Assembly; Buncombe County Schools and Asheville City Schools will draft a joint letter accepting the study recommendation and noting shared commitments to improving student outcomes.
