School Governance and Facilities
Who is in control of the school?
Who is in control of the school and/or school district? What does local control mean? How do I handle a concern I have with my local school or school district? These are questions that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education receives on a regular basis from patrons across our state. For a better understanding the words "school" and "district" need to be defined. In this document, the word "school" refers to a particular building or group of buildings, such as a high school, middle school or elementary school. When the word "district" is used, it refers to all of the schools under the authority of the local district’s board of education. Hopefully, you will have a better understanding of these issues after reading the information provided in this document.
The Missouri State Constitution has established the public schools as a state responsibility, with the Missouri General Assembly responsible for establishing and maintaining the free public schools in our state. The General Assembly has passed numerous education related laws to carry out this responsibility. The State Constitution also established an eight member State Board of Education for the purpose of supervising the instruction in our public schools. The State Board of Education’s duties primarily involve implementing the laws passed by the General Assembly, distributing school monies, collecting data and providing reports on the condition of the schools, granting teacher certificates, and classifying and accrediting school districts. The State Board of Education also adopts regulations in the areas it has been given authority to govern. Examples of State Board of Education Regulations would include: (1) Classification and Accreditation of Public School Districts and (2) Pupil Transportation – Operation of School Buses. It is important to recognize that the State Board of Education has little oversight or control in the daily operations of the local school district.
The General Assembly has elected to give the responsibility for the operation of a school district to a local board of education rather than create a state controlled educational system. The local board of education has been given the primary duty of establishing the procedures, rules and regulations for a school district, as well as for the schools within that district.
Examples of decisions that are considered local decisions follow. This list is not meant to be all-inclusive, but to provide examples of local decisions.
- Hiring, discipline and termination of both professional and support staff.
- Making needful rules and regulations for the organization and government in the school district.
- Establishing the discipline policy for the schools within the district (including corporal punishment).
- Establishing the attendance policy for the schools within the district.
- Establishing the grading policy for the schools within the district.
- Determining the grade placement of a student (including promotion or retention).
- Determining the grade point average of a student.
- Determining the school and/or district’s curriculum (which must include the Show-Me Standards)
- Selecting the school and/or district’s textbooks, educational materials and supplies.
- Establishing the school district’s calendar(s). (The calendar may be different for different schools within the district and the calendar must meet certain legal requirements).
- Making the decision to close school due to inclement weather.
- Establishing the school district’s bus routes (including snow routes).
- Determining residency as defined in state statutes for students seeking admission to a school within the district.
- Determining what is required to prove residency in the district.
- Determining the school district’s graduation requirements (must meet or exceed the state’s minimum standards).
- Establishing the requirements necessary to participate in extra-curricular activities. (Most high schools and middle schools have elected to belong to the Missouri State High School Activities Association, and if so must meet the MSHSAA eligibility standards as a minimum requirement. Many schools elect to establish higher eligibility standards than are required by the MSHSAA.)
- Allowing fund-raising activities for a school or the school district.
If, as a patron of your district, you do not agree with a local decision what can you do? The best solution is normally to work through the chain of command within your district to resolve the conflict. If a disagreement concerns a situation in the classroom it would be advisable to contact the teacher and make arrangements for a conference. During the conference you can express your concerns and hopefully, the issues can be resolved. If the issues are not resolved you may request to speak with the building principal about your concerns. If, following that meeting you are still not satisfied, you may request an appointment with the superintendent to discuss your concerns. If you still feel the issues have not been addressed appropriately following your meeting with the superintendent, you may ask to be placed on the agenda for the next local board of education meeting. A person will normally need to contact the superintendent’s office to determine the correct procedure to be placed on the board’s agenda. In most cases the local board of education will be the final authority in matters involving local decisions for the district or for a school within the district. In matters not related to a particular classroom the chain of command should still be followed beginning with the most appropriate school or district staff member.