ERIC Number: ED191637
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1980-Jun-20
Pages: 90
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
An Exploration of Inter-District Sharing Alternatives for Belle Plaine and HLV. Final Report.
Olsen, Scott A.
In an effort to address the costs incurred by declining enrollments while still maintaining quality education, 2 small Iowa school districts explored 84 sharing alternatives. The utility (fitness/usefullness) of each alternative was rated by the school board, school staff, and a community sample from each district via a specially constructed survey. Utility was measured in terms of: (1) educational quality; (2) cost effectiveness; (3) community acceptance; (4) efficient utilities usage; and (5) implications for staff. The most favorable ratings were evidenced for sharing a gifted and talented program and a vocational/agriculture farm management program; the most unfavorable ratings were evidenced for athletic programs and the sharing of specific staff (custodians, secretaries, etc.). The utility measures used in the study were completely the results of judgments by various groups regarding the relative importance of key attributes and the relative benefits of sharing alternatives in terms of those attributes. Thereby, each district was given a means of selecting sharing alternatives satisfying to the groups affected. It was concluded that the data could be used as a basis for negotiating which sharing alternatives to pursue. (AN)
Descriptors: Community Support, Cost Effectiveness, Declining Enrollment, Educational Quality, Elementary Secondary Education, Facility Utilization Research, Feasibility Studies, Institutional Cooperation, School Administration, School Districts, School Personnel, Shared Services, Small Schools, Surveys, Tables (Data), Use Studies
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Grant Wood Area Education Agency. Cedar Rapids, IA.
Identifiers - Location: Iowa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A