According to policy in their advocacy role,
local governments have a very important place in designing and implementing education policy but they tend to operate under constraints set by state and national governments
. While they do not have complete discretion to formulate education policy, they do play an important role in developing and implementing policies that are appropriate for their local contexts.
The specifics or the extent of the role and involvement of local governments in formulating education policies are explained as follows:
Roles of Local Governments in Education Policy
Administration of Schools
By creating school districts and boards of education, local governments are charged with the management of public schools at local levels. This assists in meeting education state goals and federal goals while being sensitive to local needs.
Curriculum and Instruction
While local governments are required to meet those standards, it may not necessarily be through the means of a set cut in stone template since standards based on teaching goals are the work of local governments. For instance, specific cultures or economies of the regions in which the government serves may be inserted into the curriculum through elective courses or other extracurricular activities.
Budget and Funding
However, these budgets come from the pockets of tax-paying properties within the jurisdiction; governments set aside revenue for the tax-generated districts. Revenue determined by the government is what helps provide or determines a variety of spending practices such as teacher pay or the extracurricular activities within the region.
Hiring and Personnel Policies
These institutions employ superintendents, principals, and teachers while deciding on their hiring criteria and procedures. They also set policies regarding how employees are evaluated, assisted professionally, and employed.
Student Policies
Local councils also make provisions for student behaviour rules, attendance guidelines, grading policies, and student engagement in self-initiated activities. Furthermore, those policies extend to issues of bullying, mental health, and the safety of the students.
School Infrastructure
- Determining whether to build new schools, restore or add to existing ones and upkeep of the facilities is placed on the residents. These affect the conditions under which learning and access to materials take place.
Limitations on Local Authority
State Control
As noted in state constitutions, education is mainly a function of many states in the United States. Local governments work within the framework of standards, testing, and teacher requirements created by state governments.
Federal Influence
According to federal statutes such as ESSA, there are certain areas that local governments are supposed to adhere to when enforcing policies such as accountability and equity amongst others. Federal funding is frequently accompanied by conditions.
Legal Frameworks
Best complied education policies do not contravene any state or federal laws. For instance, the local authorities cannot formulate any policies which are in violation of the Civil Rights Rehabilitation Act or with the provisions of The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Collaboration and Advocacy
More often than not, local governments act as advocates for their concerns by putting across these issues to relevant stakeholders at the state and federal levels. They lobby and work together so that general education policies are more in tune with the specific education needs within their jurisdictions.
Local governments are of central importance concerning education at the community level. They may be bound by certain broad federal and state policies, but their control over the budgetary process, administration, and decision-making on a more micro level ensures that the requirements of the learners and the community around the school are adequately addressed.