Conclusions reached by the Illinois State Board of Education Study, released in May 1985, that small schools are inferior and inefficient, that Illinois has too many schools, and that over half its schools should be closed seem to be an educational step backward. Without linking the two concepts, the study implies that school consolidation will result in streamlined state aid formulation and this improved distribution of money will assure educational quality. Research data do not prove that small schools are inferior and cannot link student performance to school enrollment. Because both large and small schools have strengths and weaknesses, with neither having clear advantages, the issue of school reorganization should not be an arbitrary bureaucratic decision but should begin on the local level where choice of school size can depend on what parents value in life. The School District Report Card, required by the 1985 Educational Reform Package, will establish a uniform database that can be used for school district evaluation and formulation of statewide standards to assess performance of both large and small schools. As long as the district, regardless of size, is meeting the set criteria, it should be unlawful to reorganize that district either by direct mandate or through imposed state funding restrictions. (NEC)