educational district
Introduction
A school district is the territory covered by one or more public schools administered by a school council responsible for one or more of these territories, which may be one or several entire municipalities or just part of one.
The school district is the form adopted by educational administration in countries such as the United States of America, Canada and Ecuador.
It is a single political body, equivalent to that of a city or a county, since they have variable powers, such as collecting taxes, for example.
School districts have a legislative body, called a school board, board of trustees, or school committee, whose members are elected through internal or general elections.
These members, in turn, have the responsibility of electing a superintendent (supervisor), usually a highly qualified teacher, to act as the executive head of the council, also responsible for making decisions and implementing policies. At times, the district may act as a judiciary, applying sanctions to employees or students.
USA
The United States has more than 14,000 school districts,[1] which operate public schools, hire teachers, generate funding for schools, establish local policies, and enforce the laws and policies of their American states. School boards, which will consist of local residents, manage the school districts.[2].
In the United States, not all public education systems constitute school districts as distinct bodies. In some states, such as Maryland, all school systems are subordinate to the state government. Other states, such as New York ("New York (state)"), have school districts controlled by public bodies and independent school systems, subordinate to a county or a city.
School districts in the Midwest and West often have boundaries that cross the boundaries of cities, townships, and unincorporated areas. Mid-Atlantic and New England school districts often have boundaries that coincide with city, township, and/or county boundaries.[1].
In 2002, in the United States there were 13,506 school districts, 178 school systems administered directly by the State, 1,330 school systems administered directly by the city or county where they operate, and 1,196 education agencies.
Currently the largest school districts in the US are the New York Unified School District (the New York City Department of Education) and the Los Angeles Unified School District (the Los Angeles Unified School District).
References
- [1] ↑ a b "School Districts" () Oficina del Censo de los Estados Unidos. Consultado el 20 de junio de 2015. "Most districts in the Mid-Atlantic and New England states follow county, township, or city boundaries, while districts in the Midwest and Western states are generally independent of municipal boundaries and frequently intersect statistical areas like Census tracts and block groups. The U.S. has more than 14,000 public school districts[...]".: http://www.census.gov/did/www/schooldistricts/
- [2] ↑ "Organization of U.S. Education: The Local Role." International Affairs Office, U.S. Department of Education. Febrero de 2008. Consulado el 12 de septiembre de 2015. "The local level of control is the heart of the U.S. education system at the primary and secondary levels. Local communities operate schools, implement and enforce state laws and policies, develop and implement their own educational policies, hire and supervise professional teaching staffs, and raise money to pay for schools (usually through property taxes plus special bond issues)." y "Public education at the local level is organized by school districts, of which there are over 14,000. These districts are governed by school boards comprised of elected citizens who exercise broad policy oversight of operations, budgets, and staff, and may oversee local school curricula within state guidelines. Local education agencies perform operational oversight and administrative support for U.S. public pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools as well as many special education, adult learning, and vocational training centers. School boards generally oversee district operations via professional district superintendents and district administrative staffs. ".: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/local.doc