Representatives from several large suburban districts have announced they are forming a coalition to represent the unique needs of their school systems.
The 10 districts that form the core of the Large Countywide and Suburban School District Consortium educate more than 1 million students, mainly in the Southeast. Jack Dale, the superintendent of the 178,000-student Fairfax County, Va., school system, and the chairman of the group, said the consortium hopes to grow to at least 20 members in the next six months.