University-district partnerships for preparing school leaders typically have well-defined organizational structures, established practices and procedures, and parity among partners--all of which can take considerable time and effort to achieve. Thus, is it realistic to expect that university-district partnerships will emerge simply through legislative mandate? The response to this question is embedded in perspectives shared by professors of educational leadership about new Kentucky policy requiring redesign of principal preparation programs. The mandate brings a new dynamic to partnership building, a process usually constructed by mutual need and perceived advantage, and raises concerns among those who must implement it to retain program accreditation. (Contains 2 tables.)