A Jim Thorpe School District board member is taking his fight for district consolidation on the road.

Gerald Strubinger Sr. said he's supported a county school system, much like those in Maryland and Virginia, for more than 10 years and recently urged Lehighton Area School District directors to join him in a meeting with state legislators on the topic."There is no motive here other than there is so much duplication of effort, I really think we can save some serious money," Strubinger said. "In Carbon County you have five superintendents, five business managers, five attorneys, five of everybody doing the same thing. We all have the same policies and same contracts. It's crazy."Strubinger said he is working on scheduling a meeting with Doyle Heffley and other area legislators to pitch his ideas.School district consolidation has been a topic suggested in Harrisburg.Lawmakers authorized a study in 2016 on the pros and cons of consolidating school districts. The study is being completed by the Joint State Government Commission and the Independent Fiscal Office.According to the Joint State Government Commission website, the study remains an "ongoing project."Rep. Mike Vereb, R-Montgomery, pushed for the study with the long-term view that a consolidation of administrators could allow for the hiring of more teachers and additional classroom investment."We wouldn't have to close down any schools, it would just be a streamlining of the management system," Strubinger said. "There is such a disparity. We have an $18 million fund balance. Lehighton is doing good. Panther Valley is struggling. Weatherly is going broke. I just think there are a lot of things we could do better together."Pennsylvania has undergone several major waves of school district consolidation. In the 1960s, 2,277 public districts dwindled to 668. A decade later, another round of consolidation dropped the number of districts to 505.There are currently 500 public districts in the state.Past studies have yielded little proof that consolidation would result in large savings.The Independent Fiscal Office looked at the issue in York County alone in 2014 and determined the county would take a major state funding hit and have "minimal savings" on administrative costs.Lehighton Board President Gloria Bowman asked Strubinger to put together a formal proposal for area school boards and superintendents to review.