STATE IMPOSITION UPON LOCAL CONTROL (SCHOOL GOVERNANCE)

Local control of public education is characteristically an American invention. Local boards of education have only as much power as the state allows. In the United States, education is a state function, and the local board of education is the prime enforcer of school laws. This case study examined the matter of state imposition upon local control--a state takeover of a local school district. It also provided historical research on the concept of local control, and the state and local role in educational governance. In 1979, the State of New Jersey took full control of the entire Trenton School District. Chapter 212, the T & E (Thorough and Efficient) Law of New Jersey, enacted in 1975, provided the New Jersey Commissioner of Education with the power to intervene and correct the deficiencies of a local school district. This study provides the educational community with an opportunity to review educational problems and remediation. The research process included examination of related documents and personal interview sessions with primary sources. The Functional Paradigm for educational governance was utilized as the conceptual framework for this study