Exactly my thinking.   Think of commodities that are available everywhere, but which see significant logistical costs the further you get out from major centers.  We've all see basics like bread, milk, TP, tampons, etc. spike significantly  in rural regions because of reduced economies of scale.  What the school saves by negotiating a local bus service wouldn't be offset by spending more on virtually every commodity that school runs on, from electricity to water to food to consumables? Would local labour be cheaper than a large contract with a major provincial builder? Would localized IT help be cheaper per student than an ongoing support contract? Can you even GET localized IT help in some rural regions?

Lots of holes in this theory, to me.