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Buncombe County School Board Does Not Recommend Consolidating ACS and BCS
Buncombe County -- January 16, 2025: Press Release Buncombe County Government: In a joint meeting on Jan. 16, the Buncombe County
Board of Commissioners, Asheville City Schools (ACS)
Board of Education, and Buncombe County Schools (BCS) Board of Education heard a presentation on the School System Consolidation Feasibility Study by Dr. Tatia Prieto, founder of Prismatic Services.
With an 11-person team and a supporting workgroup comprised of staff from both school systems and the county, Prismatic Services followed an eight-task work plan to meet the County’s requirements. From April to December 2024, Prismatic Services collected data, conducted 168 interviews, held seven focus groups, and hosted 10 community forums.
More than 6,400 online survey responses were submitted by students, parents, school staff, and community members.
For the study, Prismatic Services reviewed:
Governance, Policy, Procedures
Educational Outcomes
Student Wellbeing
Instructional and Programmatic Offerings
Student Enrollment
Facilities
Business Operations/Fiscal Impacts
Management, Personnel, and Communications
Child Nutrition
Transportation
Educational Outcomes
Student Wellbeing
Instructional and Programmatic Offerings
Student Enrollment
Facilities
Business Operations/Fiscal Impacts
Management, Personnel, and Communications
Child Nutrition
Transportation
Based on the literature review, constituent input, local environmental factors, the current operations, and academic outcomes of each school system, the report does not recommend consolidating ACS and BCS.
The recommendation is based on the following conclusions:
Neither ACS nor BCS is in a financial or other crisis.
No compelling evidence consolidation would improve student performance.
No compelling evidence consolidation would substantially reduce costs.
Little current collaboration between ACS and BCS.
Strong local perceptions of “culture” differences that would need to be overcome in consolidation.
Little local support for consolidation.
No compelling evidence consolidation would improve student performance.
No compelling evidence consolidation would substantially reduce costs.
Little current collaboration between ACS and BCS.
Strong local perceptions of “culture” differences that would need to be overcome in consolidation.
Little local support for consolidation.
School board members and county commissioners were not required to vote to accept the report, but they may choose to endorse the report as a matter of their boards' regular business. During the Jan. 16 joint meeting, individual members shared varying levels of agreement with and support for the report's finding.
The report will next go to the N.C. General Assembly, who mandated the study in September, 2023.
For more information, to view the full report, or to sign up for updates, go to engage.buncombecounty.org/schoolsfeasibilitystudy
Background:
In September of 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly mandated that the Asheville City and Buncombe County school systems jointly study the feasibility of a merger and designated Buncombe County as the lead entity for this project. In April 2024, Buncombe County contracted Prismatic Services to conduct a study of the feasibility of consolidating the two public school systems.
Image: WNCTimes
