Our county’s population loss is being acutely felt in rural school districts, where the fairly small but steady population loss makes it difficult to provide elective courses and extracurricular activities that were common as recently as the mid 1990s or early 2000s.

Shared sports teams have helped keep extracurricular options open for students, with few mergers working as well as those involving Clymer, Sherman and Panama students. That’s particularly true of the schools’ merged football team, which once again is in the midst of a deep state playoff run. Merging other sports has helped provide opportunities for athletes that otherwise would have dried up long ago.

So why not share more?

That’s the question students are asking. Discussion during a recent Clymer Central School Board of Education meeting was particularly interesting. Clymer students have asked Brianne Fadale, Clymer principal, about a combined prom between the three schools. They already share a homecoming dance because of the shared football team, and students say the homecoming dance is a throwback to homecoming dances of yesteryear because of all the students who attend. There aren’t enough students to have a huge prom. Fadale said students had made the same pitch to her counterparts in Sherman and Panama.

Clymer officials were supportive of the idea, and we have a feeling Panama and Sherman will be as well. We hope it moves forward. The more we share things like sports, proms and positions among school districts, the more obvious it becomes that the status quo we have clung to for decades isn’t sustainable for taxpayers or, even more important, for students.

There was also a brief discussion of creating a strategic plan for all three schools. It’s something that should happen not only in Clymer, Sherman and Panama, but any other school districts that find themselves partnering with neighbors. We see a lot of sharing these days of things like counselors, transportation supervisors and, of course, sports teams. That’s outstanding – but why stop there?

In our opinion, it’s time to give serious thought to more shared classes and, eventually, shared facilities. We don’t want to get too far in front of our skis, because we know how the word “merger” sends a shiver up many people’s spines. But the ideas and issues being talked about in Clymer, Sherman and Panama are really countywide issues driven by the same cause – fewer people who call Chautauqua County home. We will get more bang for our buck by building on our shared services successes.

The kids see it. Eventually, the adults will too.