Cornell – Moon Area School Districts Discussing Possible Merger

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – To merge, or not to merge, that's the question for the Cornell School District after the Moon Area School District reached out to them earlier this summer.

Parents and taxpayers in the Cornell School District had their first chance to sound off about a possible merger with the Moon Area School District Monday night.

Back in June, the Moon School Board voted to approach Cornell about the idea of joining up.

Moon has 3700 students. Cornell, which is made up of Coraopolis and Neville Island, has 650.

Some parents at the meeting said it's Cornell's smaller size that makes it a better school.

"They need the attention they get where everybody knows who these kids are, they're not going to get that at Moon, they're going ot get lost in the system."

One woman pointed out that competition for sports and activities will be much greater for students if they move the Moon School District.

"Whoever wants to play gets to play, you think that's gonna happen at Moon."

Right now, there aren't enough kids to have a football team at Cornell. Interested kids play on the Quaker Valley team.

Others, though, support the idea of a merger, saying students would have more opportunities. They also believe it may be a chance to lower school taxes.

Cornell Superintendent Aaron Thomas says they intend on talking to Moon to see how sincere they are. He says the district is open to the idea but that many factors need to be worked out.

"I'm hoping over the next couple weeks, couple months we can determine the sincerity. To examine it, what's money look like, what's needs look like," Thomas said.

The possibility of some kind of alliance between the two districts has come up twice before, and it was rejected both times.

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