Previous management research supports the view that comprehensive planning and participative decision-making are important factors in reducing community opposition to educational policies. To investigate the possibility that neither of these strategies necessarily has this effect, a survey was undertaken of 53 school districts that had experienced declining enrollment over a 10-year period beginning in 1970-71. Following data collection by means of closed-ended questionnaires called checklists, a least-squares regression analysis was conducted of all variables, including community opposition, planning comprehensiveness, consultant involvement, teacher involvement, and community involvement. Results, as revealed in three statistical tables, indicate that, contrary to what might have been expected, comprehensive planning may actually increase rather than decrease opposition in conditions of decline where less systematic, shorter term planning might be more effective. Similarly, although increased participation generally leads to less opposition, in times of retrenchment only teacher involvement tends to decrease resistance. Under such conditions, the increased involvement of outside consultants and the community at large may have no impact on efforts to reduce opposition. (JBM)