The Role of Local Governments (School Districts)  

Even though constitutional authority over education is ultimately vested in the state governments, most states delegate the operation and many aspects of policymaking to local school districts. Each of the approximately 15,000 school districts in the United States oversees its jurisdiction's public elementary and secondary schools, while private schools are generally independent of local authority. (Most public postsecondary institutions are part of state postsecondary education systems, and are therefore not governed by a school district. Private postsecondary institutions are relatively autonomous.)

Authority over the curriculum varies, with some states prescribing general curriculum guidelines, while others require compliance with specific requirements. There has been a recent tendency to increase local autonomy, including greater site-based decision making with regard to matters such as the school budget and the implementation of special programs.

Local school districts are governed by a school board whose members can be elected and/or appointed. In turn, the school board generally selects and hires the district superintendent as the individual responsible for implementing policy and managing the day-to-day operations of the school district. In most cases, school districts are responsible for the following:

• Hiring teachers, principals, and other staff;
• Setting teacher and administrator salaries;
• Administering teacher inservice training;
• Coordinating school bussing;
• Allocating budgets among schools and programs;
• Overseeing building construction and maintenence; and
• Entering into partnerships with the community.