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MONACA &mdash; The school districts that serve Monaca and Center Township have been intertwined for generations by the steel industry that made them prosperous and football traditions they hold dear, but for decades they&rsquo;ve drawn the line at merging.
Now, the territorial rivalries that kept the districts separate for so long have been trumped by declining enrollments and budget pressures that threaten academic quality.
In July, the Central Valley School District will become Pennsylvania&rsquo;s first merged district in at least 20 years.
&ldquo;Our students were beginning to lose opportunities because we didn&rsquo;t have enough students to take classes at the middle school and high school level,&rdquo; said Daniel Matsook, superintendent of the Center Area School District.
Local officials hope their merger sets an example for other districts that may be contemplating consolidations. Gov. Ed Rendell is advocating that the state reduce its school districts from 500 to 100 to cut costs and bolster education.
&ldquo;There are a lot of commonalities that exist among the different school districts,&rdquo; said Michael Thomas, superintendent of the Monaca School District. &ldquo;A lot of our practices are similar and they can see if any of that transfers to their particular situation.&rdquo;
From the start, the two tiny districts 40 miles north of Pittsburgh made bettering education the main goal of the merger and treated cost savings as a bonus.
The merger will cost $2.7 million, with the state and federal governments covering about half.
Eventually, Central Valley expects to save more than $1 million annually on everything from purchasing to teachers&rsquo; salaries because some staffing will be streamlined, while offering more advanced courses &mdash; like calculus and chemistry &mdash; and moving its middle school into a building of its own. Athletic programs also are expected to become more competitive.

Two Western Pa. Districts Showing Way For Mergers