Editorials

Traditions aren't insignificant in everyday America. They're part of the fabric that's woven between families, neighbors and co-workers in communities all across this land. And that's certainly the case in most corners of Alabama.

Count the Clay Bowl as one such tradition. It is no mere football game. It is an irreplaceable, cornerstone event for many who live in east Alabama.

That officials in Clay County are mulling the consolidation of the Clay County and Lineville school districts — and pulling the plug on the historic Clay Bowl — is irrefutable evidence of the severity of these economic times. Many of the decisions made today aren't simple conclusions; too much is at stake.

Yes, even if those decisions end decades of tradition.

It is difficult to find holes in the logic behind the Clay County consolidation plan. If academics and efficiency are at the top of school systems' priority lists, then adopting this concept should be a no-brainer. If facts are an adequate guide, the plan makes nothing but solid sense.

Ashland's elementary school uses two campuses. Lineville's elementary school has three. Students in those schools are bused from one location to another for lunch because not all of the buildings have cafeterias. The extra time on the bus means less time in the classroom and more money spent on gas.

That standpoint alone gives the consolidation plan merit.

For students throughout Clay County, the possibilities are enticing. High schoolers would benefit from a new facility built between Ashland and Lineville. Middle-schoolers would take over the systems' former high school buildings. And elementary students wouldn't be transported back-and-forth between schools throughout the day.

In Clay County, a consolidated system would bring efficiency and fiscal responsibility, ease travel burdens on some elementary students and —here's the key — allow schools to do their job better. That fact doesn't seem to be lost on outgoing Clay County Schools Superintendent Ben Griffin. "If we can combine them, we can do more," he told The Star.

Funding is the necessary evil for any project, and finding the money to kick-start this idea remains no small task. Needed is between $17 million and $20 million. Without a hardship grant from the state Department of Education, consolidation dreams in Clay County might quickly end.

Perhaps the most intriguing element is Clay County's ability to serve as a template for other systems. Consolidation already has succeeded in other parts of Alabama; one need look no further than Etowah County, where the impressive Gadsden City High was born from the merging of three others.

Traditions are couched in emotion, and it's difficult to see them end. It's sad to think of the Clay Bowl's potential demise.

But education in Alabama must make strides of improvement. It's commendable that some Clay Countians seem willing to embrace a new formula for the schooling of their children. Perhaps others in Alabama will follow.