The Shared Services project is designed to facilitate the generation of viable shared service delivery ideas by school leaders to save schools money. The aim of the project is to identify cost savings of 5% for each participating school district in Greene County.

According to Deloitte Research and the Reason Foundation, across the country, school districts have many more opportunities to tap the cost savings potential and other benefits from shared service arrangements.

Shared service benefits accrue from districts combining business operation services to reach economies of scale or scope, to negotiate from a larger base, and to use streamlined, common business processes (Gartner Publication, 2004).

Shared service delivery is a practice that private companies have employed for decades and which is being adopted by government and education. Other states appear to be further along in encouraging this practice among school districts—Texas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and others.

However, none of these states has tried a grassroots effort such as the one being tested in Greene County.

To this end, Governor Ted Strickland has expressed interest and personal support for this mutual effort. Lessons learned in Greene County will inform a statewide strategy.

Foundations and sponsors of this effort embrace shared services as a means of preserving the educational and community integrity of each school district regardless of size.