View/Open - Drake University

u~anl in jri ]-id of ~nla11 school^." Her hope was that it was a quality issue. but shs rss ver).
:ollcerned that the legislati\~e nlentality was skewed against rural education. She recognized
[hat thelr a8ere good arguments on both sides of the large versus small issue, and was quick to
loint out the many advantages small districts had over their larger counterparts.
A similar sentiment was echoed by a secondary teacher: ''1 think they are trying to shut
do\rn little schools. They talk about quality. But quality is not dictated by the number of
:oLlrse offering a school has. Quality is determined by the people in the school." This
participant thought legislators were concerned that some school districts were not doing an
adequate job of preparing students for college or the job market. She also viewed a lack of
noney as a fact(
\ broad. more philosophical view of legislative intent was expressed by a senior staff
Jrsl>url. suggesting that legislators had a multiple agenda. In an effort to insure Iowa's
:ontinued status as a strong educational state, and to justify the large monetary expenditures.
\chool di\tricts needed to show they \yere doing \vhat legislators and patrons of the local
di\trict txpccted them to be doing. If that meant the demise of some smaller districts. then so
he it. "If i4.e can't meet the mandates, they are going to close us down. I think that is the fear
of' \(>me people." she said. This inteniewee believed she was particularly sensitive to the
small school issue because of her personal knowledge of student enrollment data for the
district. "It's right in front of m\l face. I see the kids leaving. the transcripts being sent out.
:~nd that's a pretty concrete thing. I \\-orry about it a lot. But I don't know that the teachers in
[he cla~sroom worry about it that much."
C~~?rnllcllic.trrioil oftllc Policy
Learnins about the new mandates for this district centered on the elementar)'
~rincipnllc~~ui~~~l~~~~~
direclc,r filr all perticip:tnts \~bo had not joined the district prior to the