Does local board have too much power in making decisions for schools? PART 1...Matthew (Matt) Key, Georgia

In Georgia the two main statutes that directly provide for the education of the students is O.C.G.A.  § 20-2-140 and O.C.G.A. § 20-2-1010.   Ga. Code 20-2-140 states the State Board of Education shall establish competencies that each student is expected to master prior to completion of the student's public school education.  Based upon these foregoing competencies, the state board shall adopt a uniformly sequenced core curriculum for grades kindergarten through 12. Each district can enrich the curriculum where they see the need in their districts.  Ga. Code 20-2-1010 give authorization to prescribe, by regulation, the definition of the term "textbook" to include but not be limited to systematically designed material in any medium, print or non-print, that constitutes the principal source of study for a course and to prescribe the textbooks to be used in the public schools, including the elementary grades and high school grades. Local superintendent can select from a pre-approve list of books for the students in their district to use.  The statutes give the local board some authority to decide what they can do for educating their students.  The boards can look at the core curriculum and see how to enrich it for further opportunities to increase knowledge. Another statute related to the performance of the local boards is in withholding funds.  Ga. Code § 20-2-243 states in the event a local unit of administration shall fail to comply with any provision of this article or other school laws; the state board may, in its discretion, withhold from the local unit all or any part of the state contributed Quality Basic Education Program funds until full compliance is made by the local unit.  It is hard to determine if the role of the local board is limited. 

Matthew (Matt) Key, Georgia