This is an appeal from a decision of the Wapsie Valley Community School District Board to close its junior high attendance center located in Oran. Whether the District Board exercised its authority in a reasonable manner is the question raised by this appeal. The reasonableness of the Board's action is measured by the seven-step procedure recommended for school closings by the State Board of Education. In re Norman Barker, 1 D.P.I. App. Dec. 145(1977). These seven steps constitute procedural due process for the public when making decisions as important as the closing of an attendance center.

The District provides educational services for children in Bremer, Fayette, Buchanan and Black Hawk counties. This area encompasses the towns of Readlyn, Oran, and Fairbank, as well as the surrounding rural areas. During the 1999-2000 school year and for several years prior, a junior high atten-dance center for approximately 90 students was maintained in a 1914 school building located in the unincorporated township of Oran. Certified enrollment for the District as of September 1999 was 743 students. Student enrollment since 1993 has continued to show a gradual decline resulting in the loss of approximately 100 students.

The focus of this appeal is an examination of the process followed by the District from January 17, 2000, through its decision to close the Oran attendance center, which occurred on March 7, 2000. The District contends that the decision to close the Oran attendance center should be affirmed because it was the product of a process that followed the Barker Guide-lines. Appellant argues that the District Board's March 7, 2000, decision did not allow enough time for its building study committee to discuss the options and come up with a specific recommendation for the Board. The Barker Guidelines do not mandate that the District Board acquiesce to the wishes of those who are the most vocal at the public hearings. However, the Board must provide an opportunity for members of the public to present their views on the subject. There is no requirement that the Board agree with the dissenting opinions. The Board must, in good faith, provide an opportunity for public opinion to be heard.

The hearing panel heard extensive evidence and testimony from parents, members of the public, Board members, district administrators, and citizen members of the study committee. The numerous and expansive exhibits offered at the time of the hearing, when combined with the testimony, established that the Wapsie Valley Community School District followed the Barker Guidelines. Its decision to close the Oran attendance center was reasonable

That the decision of the Board of Directors of the Wapsie Valley Community School District, made on March 7, 2000, to close the Oran Junior High attendance center, be affirmed.