Consolidation of responsibilities has become a go-to for companies, governments and any other agency looking to reduce expenses.

While such moves may dismay anyone working in the private sector, when such a change could potentially lead to a reduction in the amount of tax dollars spent we may not see it in a negative light. Last week, the Pearl River County School District’s Board of Trustees approved a motion to cut the number of principals within the District by consolidating the upper and lower elementary schools.

It’s unclear what this change will ultimately mean as far as campus locations and staff changes, but on the face of the move it appears to be a way to reduce the budget.

The person who will assume this role is also unknown at press time, but it can be expected that this person will see their responsibilities increase dramatically as they assume leadership of twice the number of staff and students. Moves like these are either taking place or being considered in places across the state and the nation. And the idea isn’t new. Over the course of the last five or more years, legislators have been trying to consolidate entire school districts or put one superintendent in charge of two or more districts to save money. We may recall when the Poplarville School District was tasked with working with the Lamar County School District to come up with a plan for consolidating the Lumberton School District with either Poplarville or Lamar. And currently, there is discussion of consolidating the Richton and Perry County districts by Mississippi lawmakers. Consolidating a school district may sound like a sound financial move, but putting too much responsibility in one office can create issues as well.  So, while putting one principal in charge of two elementary schools may not be too much of a stretch in the Pearl River County School District, to put one person in charge of Picayune School District’s five elementary schools would probably be a bad idea.