"Montana’s rural schoolhouses face unclear future; As population falls, pressure rises to close doors" by Kathryn Haake | Associated Press, May 07, 2013
DIVIDE, Mont. — Increased urbanization due to the recession makes it harder for some of these schools to justify keeping their doors open. Enrollment is shrinking with rural population decline, raising pressure to consolidate or close. Some rural schools are operating on a bare-bones budget, which means low pay for teachers and little money left over for the curriculum.
But small school administrators, rural towns, and teachers hold on to their schools, arguing the venues offer superior education in part because of their small size. They also fear that with the closure of the school, the rural community will go with it....
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