The rural practitioners whose solutions are reported here stress several outlooks that help put the balancing act in perspective. First, they recommend involving many participants in the process of constructing the budget, notably including staff, parents, and taxpayers. Second, and equally important, they recommend that the school district develop and apply a clear sense of priorities as budgets are planned. Finally, the issue of forecasting has relevance. The process of seeking solutions requires cleverness, consultation, and communication.
Problems come and go, but the dilemma of fitting the means to the ends of education remains.
These school systems swear by the four-day school week because students work harder and face fewer distractions. 101 ways to save money in small schools. Rural change and the rural economic policy agenda for the 1980s. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin. Dilemmas of rural schools.