Monaca-Center Merger Approved

The first ever voluntary merger of Pennsylvania school districts was completed today when the state Board of Education voted unanimously in favor of allowing two Beaver County schools to join. The consolidation of Monaca and Center School districts will officially begin July 1, 2009. Board of Education spokesman Michael Race says the merger will benefit both students--by providing better academic programming--and the taxpayer by cutting costs within the district. Race also says the Board would like to see other small districts take the same action. Some other schools have already begun the merger process, he says, but did not specify which ones.