The Illinois Task Force on Declining Enrollments was formed in response to the need for more information about the process of planning and management in the public school system in a period of declining enrollment. The task force had five major purposes: to stimulate greater awareness of the problems and opportunities associated with declining enrollments; to outline some of the major issues and options; to set forth some practical suggestions to local districts; to generate greater planning efforts at the state and local levels; and to develop recommendations for state-level study and action. This report is an edited and integrated version of the reports of the task force subcommitteees on enrollment projections, economic issues, the use of unneeded facilities, school staffing, and the effects of reduced enrollments on instructional programs. Four themes run through the discussion--the need for planning; the importance of community involvement in the planning process; constraints, reductions, and barriers; and the opportunities associated with declining enrollments. (Author/IRT)