Since World War II, Illinois has seen the number of school districts decline from nearly 12,000 to just 855 (as of August, 2014). While this reduction is remarkable, the progress of consolidation has slowed in the recent decades. It is neither the purpose of this book nor the position of the authors or publisher to encourage additional school district consolidation. Rather, it is their intent to provide the reader a glimpse of the myriad of issues and considerations that school administrators, school boards, taxpayers, and parents confront when this topic arises in their communities. It is their hope that this book will provide a greater understanding of the process, the complexities and history of the issues involved, and removes some of the myths and barriers to open dialogue on this subject. Published by IASB, 2014.
William H. Phillips is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of Illinois-Springfield. He spent 31 years as a school administrator and has completed more than 50 school district reorganization feasibility studies for 150 school districts over a period of 20-plus years.
Scott L. Day is professor and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of Illinois at Springfield. He also co-authored a book, Illinois Law in the School Office (Second Edition, 2015), and has published articles on school district reorganization and completed 28 reorganization studies across the state.
Leonard R. Bogle is an associate professor in the Educational Leadership Department at the University of Illinois Springfield. He spent 28 years as an administrator and has completed 19 reorganization studies. He has also given workshops on the effective use of technology in the school system.