If the Warren County School District’s finances were solid, the ongoing discussion to give parents more flexibility in sending students to schools outside of their designated attendance area would make more sense.

If parents can take care of transportation outside of their attendance area, then school choice within the district’s boundaries to make sure a student is taking courses that better prepare them for college or a career makes a lot of sense. It isn’t easy for administrators, but logically the district’s job is to provide the best education for students, not to do what makes administrators’ jobs easier.

The fact that the attendance area discussion is happening at the same time the district is once again trying to figure out how to deal with millions of dollars more than the district has tax revenues to spend begs the question – should there be attendance areas at all? If closing high schools cuts enough spending to close the district’s deficit, why is the district discussing attendance areas at all?

Discussions over attendance areas and the district’s finances are happening on separate, parallel tracks. In our view, the issues are inextricably related. Allowing flexibility in attendance areas implies that there will be more than one high school in Warren County – and that’s something that can’t be guaranteed very long into the future unless the state comes through quickly with millions of dollars more in state aid.

Items proposed to be cut already include staff – teaching positions, a social worker and psychologist, among others – as well as program cuts to technology, textbooks, supplies, a proposed electronics program at the Warren County Career Center and the elimination of the late bus run. Those cuts save about $1.45 million. Raising taxes the maximum allowed by law generates another $1.7 million – leaving another $2.8 million to be cut.

The district can close the gap another $1.235 million if it moves all 10th through 12th grade students to Warren Area High School.

That may have to be a serious consideration; a consideration that seriously impacts the idea of attendance areas.