Sharing spaces: Joint use service delivery in New York state school districts

ABSTRACT

Joint use sharing of facilities and programs between schools and communities is receiving increased attention. Joint use may enhance fiscal efficiency, improve service quality, and build healthy communities. Using a 2013 state-wide survey of school districts in New York, we conduct multivariate analyses to assess determinants of joint use service sharing. We differentiate between administrative services (payroll, purchasing) and community services (childcare, recreation, shared facilities). Service sharing is higher when sharing agreements are more formal, management factors are considered, and in school districts with less poverty, smaller enrollment, and those in rural areas and in small cities. Sharing rates are greater for administrative services than community services, and this may be due to regional service agencies which facilitate sharing in educational and administrative services, but not in community services. We recommend an administrative mechanism to promote more community service sharing be implemented.

KEYWORDS:

• Joint use
• collaboration
• shared services
• community development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The NYC Public School District has 1.1 million students in more than 1800 school buildings across five boroughs and 24 times larger than the second largest district, Buffalo. Hence it is not appropriate to include in our sample. Moreover, several fiscal variables (e.g. Combined Wealth Ratio) are not calculated for NYC.

2. The average Combined Wealth Ratio (CWR) statewide is 1.0. Districts whose CWR is above 1.0 are seen as “more wealthy” while those CWR is less than 1.0 are seen as less wealthy (New York State Educational Department, 2001).

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture [CUAES Hatch, NYC-159402], USDA Hatch Multistate Project [2022-23-183]