Territorialism arose in districts' merger - Carrollton-FB leaders remember rough spots in school consolidation
The Dallas Morning
News - Sunday, May 9, 1993
Author: Dan
Shine, Staff Writer of The Dallas
Morning News
CARROLLTON -- Almost nine years had passed
since the Carrollton and Farmers Branch school
districts consolidated in 1954. But a friendly
rivalry still existed between the cities.
The Carrollton school board in 1963, with a majority of Farmers Branch members, voted to add Farmers Branch to the district's name. While they were at it, they changed the name of Carrollton High School, on the Farmers Branch border, to R.L. Turner High School.
Then a few weeks later, when the high school band marched in a Mardi Gras parade, there was some spirited discussion over what the banner would read.
"Some people said, "Make that Carrollton High School so they know where we're from. No one knows where R.L. Turner is,' ' recalled Bill Blanton of Carrollton, a former school board member and state legislator who accompanied the band to New Orleans.
Other than that, Mr. Blanton said, the two towns "got along pretty well.'
With the May 1 defeat by voters of the school finance proposition, legislators are considering possible options to eliminate the property wealth disparities among districts.
One option is consolidating school districts, which is not embraced by many school officials worried about creating large, bureaucratic districts and losing local control.
Under one proposal, the Carrollton-Farmers Branch district would merge with Lewisville's.
Voluntary plan
When the neighboring northern Dallas County suburbs of Carrollton and Farmers Branch merged, it was different from the forced consolidation proposed now.
Strapped for cash, Farmers Branch residents voted to abolish their school district, with the understanding that it would be split between Dallas and Carrollton. Voters in those two cities also had to approve the unions.
"Carrollton voluntarily accepted the old part of Farmers Branch,' said board President Don Sheffield, who has been a trustee for 29 years. "It was an amenable affair.'
But that's not to say that the consolidation went smoothly, Mr. Sheffield said. The merger was a "traumatic affair,' he said.
"A great deal of assimilation and reorganization took place,' Mr. Sheffield said. "There were a great many problems.'
But the board, Mr. Sheffield said, did its best to resist a tug of war between the two cities' members.
"We went overboard to keep that from occurring,' he said. "Not within our district had we seen provincialism in any way.' Voting for own
But there was an occasional bout of territorialism.
The first time Mr. Blanton ran for the board in 1968, the Carrollton resident was in fourth place after ballots from the two Farmers Branch boxes were counted. When the lone Carrollton box came in, Mr. Blanton finished first.
"It showed that Farmers Branch people voted for Farmers Branch people, and Carrollton people voted for Carrollton people,' he said.
The Carrollton school board in 1963, with a majority of Farmers Branch members, voted to add Farmers Branch to the district's name. While they were at it, they changed the name of Carrollton High School, on the Farmers Branch border, to R.L. Turner High School.
Then a few weeks later, when the high school band marched in a Mardi Gras parade, there was some spirited discussion over what the banner would read.
"Some people said, "Make that Carrollton High School so they know where we're from. No one knows where R.L. Turner is,' ' recalled Bill Blanton of Carrollton, a former school board member and state legislator who accompanied the band to New Orleans.
Other than that, Mr. Blanton said, the two towns "got along pretty well.'
With the May 1 defeat by voters of the school finance proposition, legislators are considering possible options to eliminate the property wealth disparities among districts.
One option is consolidating school districts, which is not embraced by many school officials worried about creating large, bureaucratic districts and losing local control.
Under one proposal, the Carrollton-Farmers Branch district would merge with Lewisville's.
Voluntary plan
When the neighboring northern Dallas County suburbs of Carrollton and Farmers Branch merged, it was different from the forced consolidation proposed now.
Strapped for cash, Farmers Branch residents voted to abolish their school district, with the understanding that it would be split between Dallas and Carrollton. Voters in those two cities also had to approve the unions.
"Carrollton voluntarily accepted the old part of Farmers Branch,' said board President Don Sheffield, who has been a trustee for 29 years. "It was an amenable affair.'
But that's not to say that the consolidation went smoothly, Mr. Sheffield said. The merger was a "traumatic affair,' he said.
"A great deal of assimilation and reorganization took place,' Mr. Sheffield said. "There were a great many problems.'
But the board, Mr. Sheffield said, did its best to resist a tug of war between the two cities' members.
"We went overboard to keep that from occurring,' he said. "Not within our district had we seen provincialism in any way.' Voting for own
But there was an occasional bout of territorialism.
The first time Mr. Blanton ran for the board in 1968, the Carrollton resident was in fourth place after ballots from the two Farmers Branch boxes were counted. When the lone Carrollton box came in, Mr. Blanton finished first.
"It showed that Farmers Branch people voted for Farmers Branch people, and Carrollton people voted for Carrollton people,' he said.
