Even though it hasn't, the Farrell Area School Board member believes the people of Wheatland will ultimately kill the effort to move to the West Middlesex Area School District.

"That's just a number of people from Wheatland," he said. "They do not represent the majority of people from Wheatland."

Robinson said the borough's high number of senior citizens will work against the members of Wheatland's Alternative Educational Taskforce.

"Once you get a certain age, their concern is taxes," he said.

School officials said they don't agree with some of the reasons WhEAT members have given to support their desire to want to move to West Middlesex.

On the issue of quality of education, Superintendent Richard R. Rubano Jr. said, "We have an excellent educational system. We have outstanding programs. I just think we have a marvelous school district that has a lot to offer and has been that way for a long time. I think we're as competitive a school district as any."

When Wheatland was building five new houses, there was talk that the borough would not be able to fill them because the borough is in the Farrell school district, Robinson said.

But those houses did get bought, he said.

Robinson said Wheatland taxpayers and students are considered in board decisions, and added a rhetorical question: "If these people go to West Middlesex, will they get preferential treatment?"

He said Wheatland students are familiar with Farrell's teachers, programs and students.

Robinson said he believes Wheatland should be represented on the board, whose nine seats are currently filled with Farrell residents.

But he also thinks Wheatland residents have to be more involved in the political process to try to get board representation.

"If they're worried about representation, they should be running some candidates, or something," he said. "They didn't do that."

No Wheatland residents have sought election to the school board for some years. During the process to replace Rose Marie Branca, who died Jan. 1, a Wheatland woman submitted her name for consideration by the board, but withdrew before interviews were conducted.

When the board was unable to choose a replacement and the issue was thrown to Mercer County Common Pleas Court, no Wheatland residents sought the seat.

Wheatland residents also could approach the board with concerns, Robinson said.

"They never came to us and addressed problems, things they didn't feel we were doing," he said. "If these people would come to us, we'd work with them."

"The lines of communication have always been open," Rubano added. "I have an open-door policy. They can call me at any time."

If WhEAT is successful, "The tax situation would be difficult," Rubano said of lost revenues.

But he had no comment on how the change would affect other components of the school district.

"That's all issues that we'd worry about once they come to fruition," Rubano said.

West Middlesex Superintendent Albert Jones said the board's position still is that it is willing to talk to anyone who wants to join the district, but the district is not "actively recruiting" WhEAT or anyone else.

Jones added that he doesn't think adding the Wheatland students would be a problem financially, or in terms of staffing or building space.

"We would have room," he said.