Amalgamation of British Columbia school districts: A study of leadership

In British Columbia, 31 school districts were dissolved and 15 new districts were created, yet little is known about how this process occurred at the local level and how each district created an amalgamated district that was unique to the character of their region. There is a distinct lack of information about the steps taken by educational leaders in districts that lead to a successful school district amalgamation; what process and strategies help facilitate organizational mergers.;Purpose. The primary purpose of this study was to identify the distinguishing characteristics of successful school district amalgamation. For the purposes of this study, a working definition of a successful school district amalgamation was characterized as one where: (a) the targeted districts fell under the jurisdiction of one management team, (b) the district's proportion of the financial savings mandated by the Ministry of Education were realized, (c) the cultures of the merging districts were assimilated or integrated, and (d) the new district was not experiencing labour unrest or litigation as a result of the amalgamation.;Methodology. Superintendents of the 15 amalgamated school districts in British Columbia were asked to identify which of the amalgamated districts were successful in their attempts and which were perceived as less than successful. Four successful and four less than successful school districts were approached and permission was obtained to interview as many senior managers in the district as possible.;Twenty-eight senior educational leaders were interviewed in eight districts throughout British Columbia. The recorded transcript of each interview was analyzed to provide insights into the characteristics of bringing about a successful school district amalgamation.;Findings and conclusions. Major indicators of a successful amalgamation included the involvement of numerous constituency groups in the development of a vision, the development of an amalgamation plan in advance of the change, and viewing amalgamation as an opportunity to reform and improve education.;Major barriers to bringing about success in an amalgamation included a Board of Trustees that was not working constructively, the fact that many employee collective agreements were still separate and a number of geographic, financial and cultural factors.