200 CHAPTER 7: Governing and Administering Public Education
Education in the United States is organized on four governmental levels: local, intermediate (in some states), state, and federal. Understanding the formal organization of schools and how they are governed can help you make wise choices and realistic decisions about schools and take appropriate political action. In this chapter, we examine the various governmental levels and how they affect education. The United States does not have a centralized, national education system like those in Great Britain, France, or Japan. We have fifty different state educational systems and many differences among local school systems even within the same state. The US Constitution makes no mention of public education, but the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution reserves to the states all powers not specifically delegated to the federal government or prohibited to the states by the Constitution. This amendment is the basis for allocating to the states primary legal responsibility for public education. However, the states have delegated varying degrees of responsibility for day-to-day school system operations to local districts. So we begin our discussion of how schools are governed and administered at the local level.
7-1 Local Responsibilities and Activities Every public school in the United States is part of a local school district. The district is created by the state. The state legislature, subject to the restrictions of the state constitution, can modify a local district’s jurisdiction, change its boundaries and powers, or even eliminate it altogether. In most states, the local district encompasses a relatively small geographical area and operates schools for children within specific communities. However, because a school district operates on behalf of the state, local policies must be consistent with policies set forth in the state school code.
7-1a Characteristics of Local School Boards local school board A body of citizens, either appointed or elected, who set policy regarding schools in a local school district.
Despite the fact that the state limits their prerogatives, local school boards have been delegated and assume significant decision-making responsibility. Many school boards have the power to raise money through local tax initiatives. They exercise power over personnel and school property. Most states leave student policy largely to local school boards, but others, by law, impose specific requirements or limitations. Methods of selecting board members are prescribed by state law. The two standard methods are election and appointment. Election is thought to make for greater accountability to the public, but some people argue that appointment leads to greater competence and less politics. Election, by far the most common practice, accounts for more than 94 percent of school board members nationwide.1 A few states specify a standard number of board members, others specify a permissible range, and a few have no requirements. Most school boards have five to eight members. School board members typically do not come from the education profession; they are representative of the larger community they serve. In most cases, they are not paid or are paid very little for their service; 75 percent of board members in small districts receive no pay. They serve as volunteers performing a valuable community service. Many educators are concerned about whether school boards adequately reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. A nationwide survey from the National
1 Frederick M. Hess and Olivia Meeks, School Boards Circa 2010: Governance in the Accountability Era (Alexandria, VA: National School Boards Association, 2010).
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