ABSTRACT
The urbanization following World War II was coupled with a reduction from more than 2,000 school districts to the present 60 or so districts. Legislative authority over education in Canada rests with provincial governments. School districts are governed by elected school boards with from five to fourteen members. Districts normally employ a superintendent as chief administrator, and depending on size may employ a few or many other central board office staff. The province and school boards had coped with their financial difficulties by reducing programs such as special education and counselling and by requiring teachers and administrators to accept wage freezes or reductions. A drive through the rural school district would reveal large tracts of farm land, mostly growing grain. Parents and the communities at large are very supportive of education, and this is seen as an important asset to the school board as well as to school administrators and teachers.
