“But don’t think for a moment that this is always an unintended consequence of tight budgets. Those who perennially advocate for less funding for public education must surely understand that some rural school districts will be squeezed out of existence. So while they publicly voice their opposition to forced consolidation, their actions reveal that the disappearance of small rural Kansas school districts is not a concern to them and in fact they are hoping for that outcome. But of course they prefer the subtle consolidation by starvation over the more open and obvious forced consolidation.

“And when that happens, students in my district and rural districts throughout the state are the losers.” http://www.hayspost.com/2014/09/15/hineman-consolidation-by-starvation/