Chapter 13 Governance and Financing of Elementary and Secondary Schools By Delis Corke EDU 505 10/30/13

Focus Role of the state and local school boards and superintendents of education Impact of site-based management Charter Schools Three public policy goals of school financing sources The major local, state, and federal revenue sources Role of private education in U.S. (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Organization for Education Education in the American system is operated through the 50 separated state educational agencies Instruction is provide by more than 14,000 school districts, 90,000 schools staffed by 3 million teachers. (NEA, 2007) Policies are set by governors, state legislators, state board of education and local board of education. Elementary and secondary education is the largest item in the budget of many state and local governments (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Organization for Education Funding comes from local (43.5%), state (47.6%) and federal sources (8.9%) Most of the money comes from state and local taxes. Federal funding is used for special programs or conditions such as mandated under the NCLB Act of 2001. (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Education at the Local Level (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Education at the Local Level Public Education is highly decentralized States make provisions for the creation of local districts Districts are responsible for operation of schools Virgin Island has two districts St. Thomas-St. John St. Croix Primary functions of School Districts are to: adopt policies and regulations adopt curriculum for the schools serve as links between community patrons and the schools (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Education at the Local Level Primary functions of School Districts Continued: provide reports about the schools provide human and material resources take necessary steps to provide adequate facilities for instructions provide the state department of education and agencies with required information (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

School Boards The governing body for the operation of a school district States statutes provide for the selection of lay citizens to serve on school boards School boards represents all people Members are chosen as stewards of public trust Either elected or nominated (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Superintendent of Schools Some responsibilities include planning staffing coordinating, budgeting ,administering ,evaluating, and reporting Primary responsibility is to work with the school board and the School district staff to improve educational programs in the district Responsible for the day to day running of the schools (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Building Principal Responsible for the success or failure of education programs Implementations of the school district’s regulations and policies Lead staff in the vision and climate of the school Responsible for the induction and growth of staff (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Site-Based Management Site-based management is the shifting of decision making from central administration to site-based council made up of parents and teachers Smallest management unit of the school district Most critical unit in the education delivery system promoted as a way to increase teacher moral improve the management of schools raise students performance (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Charter Schools Most recent development of organizational public schools Movement began in the 1990s to provide the parent and students with a choice between traditional public schools and alternative public schools They are run by parents or other people holding the school’s charter (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Charter Schools As of 2012-2013 school year, 42 states and the District of Columbia have enacted charter school laws. (The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 2013 ) (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Reasons for Growth in the Charter School Movement Student and/or parent exercising choice Public school staff seeking exemption Community interest in special schools to provide support for programs School patrons seeking relief from regulations The conversion of financially troubled schools (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Education at the State Level The NCLB Act widened the role of the state government By 2014 the states are responsible under NCLB to meet the goal of all children achieving “proficient” Structure of State-level Education System State Board of Education Policy making body State Department of Education State administrative agency Chief State School Officer Can be referred to as Superintendent of public instruction or the Commissioner of Education May be elected of nominated (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Federal Government and Public Education As in chapter 6 and 11, no mention was made about education in the constitution- some states had already made provisions for education Role: The major portion of federal funds provides for services for special population Education statistics and research Research and demonstrative projects Student performance and assessment (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Financing of Education State legislatures establish structure for financing public and secondary education (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Three Public Policy Goals in State Finance Equity- Equal treatment of persons in equal circumstances Funds provided should allow for equal opportunity for an education Adequacy- The extent to which educational funding is sufficient to provide the programs and services needed by all students Choice- Used to refer to two goals local control of funding decisions parents being able to choose the school their child will attend (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

State School Finance Program Schools receive funding through tax revenues and grants (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

State Source of Revenue Sales tax Person income tax Property tax varies among states Lottery profits (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Federal Source of Revenue Federal Income Tax Rely on the whole nation as the tax paying base (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Federal Aid for Elementary and Secondary Schools The NCLB Act of 2001, in absence of constitutional rights from the federal government, has become the base of the federal education program Title 1 and the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) maintained for over 40 years (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Private Education alternative to public education In 1924, Pierce v. Society of Sisters, the US Supreme Court recognized the rights of parents to educate their children in private schools. Different forms of private schools including homeschooling. (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

Conclusion The Education System in the US and VI is govern by a basic structure. The state government plays an important role in the way the schools are overseen and financed. The Federal Government under the No Child Left Behind Act is assuming more active roles. Funding has not really increased. There is more accountability (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)

References The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. (2013). Retrieved from The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools website: http://dashboard.publiccharters.org/dashboard/select/year/2013 Webb, L. D., Metha, A., & Jordan, K. F. (2010). Foundations of American Education (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill. (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010)