Can districts contract with one another to share or provide services?

Certainly, in theory.  Consolidation of services is one of the benefits of having a relatively larger district.  Sharing services and efforts is only practical, however, when the services are identical and not in competition with one another.  For example, it would not make sense to consolidate two different accounting departments as each district is required to keep its own books and file its own reports.  If an accountant in one district has extra time, the district would give the accountant additional assignments in related areas rather than hire the individual out to maintain an entirely separate set of books and reports for a different district.  Similarly, in a time of teacher and administrator shortage, a human resources department would have a conflict of interest if trying to staff two separate districts competing for the same limited resource.

It has been Granite’s experience that departments are staffed at the minimum required to provide the services required.  We have not found that departments have staff with enough time to serve another district – in fact, were we to find that, we would likely downsize the department.