Abstract
Purpose. The primary purpose of the study was to determine the degree of satisfaction of key representatives of six small rural school districts in Kings County, California, with the current core services of business and administration, technology, personnel, curriculum and instruction, specialized student programs, and the direct psychological and health services being provided by the Kings County Office of Education. A secondary purpose of the study was to identify what services the six small rural districts in Kings County, California may need the Kings County Office of Education to provide to them in the future. Methodology. The research setting for this study was the small, rural elementary K-8 public school districts that receive services from the county office of education located in Kings County, California A qualitative case study approach was the methodology selected for this descriptive study. The primary source of data collection was through interviews, and a 100 percent sample size of the population was achieved. Findings and conclusions. This study found that, for the small rural school districts in Kings County, California, the county office of education remains a viable system of support and service. The study identified areas of services for improvement and services to be added in the future. Furthermore, the study found that a significant number of the key representatives of small rural school districts were not aware of, or knowledgeable about, the services provided by the county office. Recommendations. It was recommended that the county office continue to provide small rural school districts with the current core services, and that the county office be sensitive to the changing needs of these districts. It was also recommended that the county office communicate their role, function, and services with all key representatives of these districts.