School district boundaries define more than just the area where a certain group of children attends a given set of schools. They also determine the taxing jurisdiction that supports those schools with local property taxes. Big differences in property value can lead to large funding gaps, even between neighboring districts. These disparities in…

Position papers on planning for school district organization were prepared for the project staff of the Great Plains School District Organization Project, a four-state study. A total of 104 studies and reports were prepared by personnel from secondary schools, institutions of higher learning, State Departments of Education, and related educational…

The Great Plains School District Organization Project, approved by the State Boards of Education in Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota and financed by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, had two objectives: (1) To strengthen the State Departments of Education, and (2) to seek ways and means of strengthening the Departments…

MANY FACTORS ARE RELATED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN OPTIMUM SIZE FOR SCHOOL ORGANIZATION. BEFORE A STATE CAN ANSWER THE QUESTION OF SIZE, IT SHOULD PERHAPS FIRST ANSWER THE QUESTIONS--WHAT DO WE WANT THE STATE SCHOOL SYSTEM TO ACCOMPLISH, AND WHAT ARE THE STRUCTURAL ALTERNATIVES THAT WILL BE BEST FOR OUR STATE. WHEN THESE ARE ANSWERED, SIZE THEN…

The impact of recent technological, social, and economic change has necessitated a re-examination of educational structure, and has resulted in school district reorganization projects in many states. The purposes of this paper are to review the various legislative techniques employed by 33 states in their attempts to merge or reorganize school…