Local Control

Illustration of Uncle Sam contemplating a public school building.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + DigitalVision Vectors + iStock/Getty Images
Federal Opinion No One Should Want the Federal Government Dictating Civics Education
Whether or not you support President Trump’s plan to end “radical indoctrination” in schools, there’s a larger issue at stake.
David J. Bobb, March 6, 2025
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4 min read
A school building rests on vanishing columns of rolled hundred dollar bills. Vanishing property tax support for schools.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty Images
Education Funding A State Considers a Future in Which Schools Can't Rely on Property Taxes
How would school districts fill the gap if a governor gets his wishes?
Mark Lieberman, July 9, 2024
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10 min read
Illustration of a hand squeezing the dollar sign with coins flowing out of the bottom of the dollar sign.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management State Takeovers of School Districts Still Happen. New Research Questions Their Value
More than 100 districts across the country have experienced state takeovers.
Mark Lieberman, April 29, 2024
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6 min read
HISD parent Misi Schlueter participates in a rally hosted by The Greater Houston Justice Coalition and other community groups against the state takeover of HISD on March 31, 2023, at Cesar Chavez High School in Houston.
Houston parent Misi Schlueter participates in a rally hosted by the Greater Houston Justice Coalition and other community groups against the state takeover of the Houston district on March 31, 2023, at Cesar Chavez High School.
Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via AP
School & District Management Houston's Sweeping School Changes: Will They Be a Case Study—Or Cautionary Tale?
Houston's state-appointed superintendent has enacted an ambitious set of changes that affect nearly every part of the school day.
Evie Blad, September 1, 2023
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12 min read
Tulsa Public Schools board members Jennettie Marshall, left, and president Stacey Woolley speak to the members of the State Board of Education during a meeting where the board voted 6-0 to approve accreditation with deficiencies for the Tulsa Public School district in the Oliver Hodge Building on Aug. 24, 2023, in Oklahoma City.
Tulsa Public Schools board members Jennettie Marshall, left, and president Stacey Woolley speak to the members of Oklahoma's board of education on Aug. 24, 2023. The board voted 6-0 to approve accreditation with deficiencies for the district, for now averting the possibility of state control.
Daniel Shular/Tulsa World via AP
School & District Management Tulsa Maintains Accreditation, Averting State Control—For Now
But the district's school board president issued an unusual rebuke to Oklahoma's top education official.
Evie Blad, August 24, 2023
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5 min read
An overflow crowd attends a Temecula Valley Unified School District board meeting July 18, 2023, at which a proposed social studies curriculum was again debated and rejected.
An overflow crowd attends a Temecula Valley Unified School District board meeting July 18, 2023, at which the board again debated and rejected a proposed social studies curriculum.
Will Lester/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG via TNS
States What California Gov. Newsom's Fight With a School District Says About Local Control
Newsom threatened to fine the Temecula Valley school board after it rejected a curriculum that mentioned gay rights leader Harvey Milk.
Libby Stanford, August 11, 2023
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8 min read
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during convocation at Liberty University, in Lynchburg, Va., on April 14, 2023.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during convocation at Liberty University, in Lynchburg, Va., on April 14, 2023.
Paige Dingler/The News & Advance via AP
Federal Ron DeSantis Is Running for President. What Will That Mean for K-12 Schools?
DeSantis has solidified himself as a force on school policy. His campaign will likely influence the role education plays in the election.
Libby Stanford, May 24, 2023
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6 min read
Image showing a gavel coming down on a medical face mask.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Law & Courts Mask Mandate Lawsuits Reflect Bigger Battle: Do States or Local Districts Control Schools?
Some legal clarity is forming over whether governors may restrict school districts from enacting mask mandates to fight COVID-19.
Mark Walsh, August 27, 2021
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9 min read
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gives his State of the State Address in the House Chamber in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 5, 2019.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has sought to bar districts from universally requiring masks in schools.
Eric Gay/AP
States Mask Mandates Put 'Local Control' of Schools to the Test
Fights between states and school districts aren't new, but stark differences on masking present new tests.
Andrew Ujifusa, August 11, 2021
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8 min read
Federal Trump's 'Patriotic Education' Push Clashes With His Past Calls for Local Control
The president's call for "pro-American" history classes doesn't mesh well with his 2017 executive order saying he would "preserve State and local control".
Andrew Ujifusa, September 21, 2020
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4 min read
Then-U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan speaks during a 2015 town hall meeting in Des Moines, Iowa.
Then-U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan speaks during a 2015 town hall meeting in Des Moines, Iowa.
Charlie Neibergall/AP, File
School Climate & Safety Opinion Arne Duncan: Reopening Schools Is a Local Decision, Not the President's
The Trump administration has completely failed to protect Americans and lead during the COVID-19 crisis, writes former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
Arne Duncan, July 9, 2020
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3 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion Are There Unseen Children In Your School?
What do we know, what can we be sure of, and what do we need to learn about how it feels to be a child in our schools?
Jill Berkowicz & Ann Myers, March 27, 2018
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4 min read
School & District Management News in Brief New Era of Local Control Begins for Schools in Newark, N.J.
After 22 years, Newark, N.J., residents have regained control of their schools.
Denisa R. Superville, February 13, 2018
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1 min read
States New Era of Local Control in Newark, N.J., After 22 Years
The state seized control of the city's struggling school system in 1995.
Denisa R. Superville, February 1, 2018
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1 min read
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