The practice of public school consolidation has a long history in the United States. School consolidation involves several stakeholders and is tied to a community's identity. Educational leaders are faced with tough dilemmas among responding to student needs, meeting fiduciary responsibilities to constituencies, and addressing adult concerns about effects on communities. This article uses a micropolitical framework to illuminate the political and ethical dilemmas embedded in a case study that describes the consolidation of two rural middle schools. (Contains 1 table.)