As costs rise, taxes increase and budgets are stretched, small school districts across the region face the daunting task of providing robust programming to their students with fewer resources. Compounding the challenges on the East End are decreases in state aid, overall falling student population numbers and unaffordable housing costs that are driving families from the area.

This week, the editors discuss the pros and cons of school consolidation. With more than a dozen school districts on the South Fork, it’s likely only a question of time before consolidation becomes a matter of survival.