States Increasingly Flexing Their Policy Muscle

By Robert C. Johnston and Jessica L. Sandham

First in an occasional series.

One of the many lessons Russell C. Schools has learned since joining the Southampton County, Va., school board nearly 30 years ago is the truth of an old twist on the Golden Rule: "He who has the gold, makes the rules."

During Mr. Schools' tenure, the Virginia state government's share of his 2,850-student district's budget has held steady at around 70 percent. But over the years, Mr. Schools has watched state lawmakers demand more for their money by passing new rules on class size, special...