An audit conducted in 2020 in New Jersey recommended that the State move forward with school district consolidation efforts. Though the State had already merged several school districts, more than many other states, 144 of New Jersey's districts were made up of only one school. 

School consolidation peaked during the 1970s and 1980s, bringing different small school districts together under single administrators. During this process, some schools were closed, and the trend slowed down over the years. However, many states saw the benefit and adopted this managerial move. 

The State Auditor pointed out that K-6 schools were inefficient in handling the school district's administrative costs. If a school were to join with a few other K-6 or K-8, the schools could eliminate similar jobs and purchase future items at lower bulk rates. 

There were more than just cost-saving benefits to consider with school consolidation. The purpose was to improve education quality. One small school in four districts may not have had the resources to provide quality education in different fields, such as music teachers or foreign languages. However, if these four schools/districts consolidated, they could quickly hire dedicated specialty teachers. 

Consolidating schools was a good idea, but pulling together four or five school districts into one was difficult with so many moving pieces. For example, in New Jersey, a law was passed in 2007 that required county superintendents to submit consolidation plans for the K-12 district. 

The plan was submitted to the Commissioner of Education, and the office identified 30 studies that needed to be done to transition. Since a report said there was no funding available to do the studies, the process was postponed. 

The question for debate is: Should New Jersey's 500+ School Districts Consolidate To Share Services, Expand Curriculums, And Economize Spending?