The Saskatoon public board closed eleven elementary schools and one high school during the period 1978–88. The finding from two economic models is that the school board did not act as a discriminating rational economic decisionmaker in closing two elementary schools located in a case-study neighbourhood. The postponement of the closures resulted in an annual subsidy to the remaining students and their families for an amount eventually equivalent to 40% of the actual savings. The school board thus incorporated noneconomic factors into its decisions in anticipation of the community reactions to a closure.
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