[2] In May 2008 all members of the Iowa Board of Education voted to permanently close the Russell district.
[5] The state gained the authority to force districts to close for financial reasons because of a law passed in 2007.
[6] Russell was the second district ever forced to close by the Iowa state board.
Reid Forgrave of The Des Moines Register stated that because the school closed, the Russell community had its identity damaged.
[3] School districts forced by the Iowa Board of Education to merge