Declining enrollment almost inevitably means reduction in force--specifically, in the number of teachers. The author of this paper maintains that this process need not be as traumatic as some think. He suggests basing teaching personnel needs on midyear enrollment projections, rather than on first-of-the-year projections, since the number of students always declines as the year progresses. He lists six strategies for staff reduction that can help districts minimize terminations due to declining enrollment: (1) Adopt an early retirement plan; (2) Adopt aggressive procedures for termination of teachers who cannot provide satisfactory services; (3) Work with neighboring school districts that are experiencing enrollment growth; (4) Develop a trained corps of substitutes; (5) Encourage everyone in the district to become aggressive in obtaining money from government and private sources; and (6) Train secondary teachers for elementary positions. (Author/DS)