Regional Superintendent: Thumbs Down to Southern Illinois School Consolidation

Anna, IL -- Four southern Illinois school districts now have to hope the state will give them permission to consolidate. The regional superintendent for Alexander, Johnson, Massac, Pulaski and Union counties has denied a request for a four district consolidation. Janet Ulrich says she didn't see enough of a benefit in the plan put forward by the four districts. But local leaders say Ulrich isn't looking at the plan as a whole.
The four districts had been hoping to get the okay to ask voters to approve a school merger. Union County is one of the state's smallest counties; the four local districts were hoping to save money by combining operations. A spokesman at the State Board of Education says they are "reviewing" the consolidation plan. There's no word when a ruling may come.  http://bit.ly/tenSb0