Local School Board Governance and Flexibility Act

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Local School Board Governance and 
Flexibility Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the responsibility for education resides with the 
        States, which have delegated to local school boards the power 
        and authority to adopt policies, establish priorities, and 
        provide accountability to direct the operation of neighborhood 
        schools;
            (2) local school boards are held accountable by local 
        voters to represent the interests of students, parents, local 
        businesses, civic organizations, taxpayers, and the community 
        at large in determining, subject to State laws and policies, 
        the direction, values, climate, and financial support of the 
        schools in their community;
            (3) the vital national interest in local self-governance of 
        local educational agencies has been weakened through Department 
        of Education requirements that are either unnecessary to 
        achieve the specific direction of legislation enacted by 
        Congress, or that impose unnecessary limits on the flexibility 
        needed by local educational agencies in order to meet local, 
        State, and Federal goals in education; and
            (4) to support the local decisionmaking function of local 
        educational agencies, the Secretary of Education should engage 
        only in issuing regulations, rules, grant conditions, guidance 
        materials, and other requirements under the jurisdiction of the 
        Department that are--
                    (A) specifically required to implement Federal 
                legislation; and
                    (B) demonstrated to be educationally, 
                operationally, and financially within the capacity of 
                local educational agencies to implement.

SEC. 3. AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY.

    Unless specifically authorized by Federal law, the Secretary may 
not issue a Federal regulation, rule, grant condition, guidance 
material, or other requirement pertaining to a State educational agency 
or a local educational agency that--
            (1) conflicts with the power and authority of the local 
        educational agency delegated by the State regarding the 
        operation of the schools (including the school system's mission 
        and goals, organization, local budget and budget priorities, 
        education program, curriculum, or extra-curricular activities), 
        student health services and safety, transportation and school 
        boundaries, procurement policies, staffing and personnel 
        policies, capital construction, authority to levy taxes, issue 
        bonds, and acquire land, and other functions essential to the 
        daily operation of the schools within the jurisdiction of the 
        local educational agency;
            (2) results in additional costs to the local educational 
        agency for reporting, grant administration, and general 
        operations, unless fully funded from Federal funds;
            (3) conflicts with the power and authority of the local 
        educational agency to determine how to engage or act upon 
        community participation and advice;
            (4) imposes requirements on a local educational agency or 
        State educational agency that would limit or adversely affect 
        the authority of the local educational agency or State 
        educational agency to function as a legislative, executive, or 
        quasi-judicial agency;
            (5) conflicts with the authority of--
                    (A) a State to determine the appropriate governance 
                structure of--
                            (i) the State educational agency; or
                            (ii) the State's local educational 
                        agencies; or
                    (B) a State educational agency or local educational 
                agency to determine the appropriate governance and 
                management of the schools that the State educational 
                agency or local educational agency serve;
            (6) establishes reporting requirements for State 
        educational agencies or local educational agencies that 
        duplicate existing Federal requirements or that are issued 
        without first conducting a fiscal impact statement related to 
        the costs to State educational agencies or local educational 
        agencies, as the case may be, including requests for data and 
        recommendations from State educational agencies or local 
        educational agencies and national education organizations 
        consistent with the provisions of section 4(a); or
            (7) places conditions or requirements on a grant to a State 
        or local educational agency that are not directly related to, 
        or that do not directly support, the intent of the specific 
        purpose of the grant or the legislation authorizing such grant.

SEC. 4. OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMENT REGARDING LOCAL IMPACT.

    (a) In General.--During each fiscal year (beginning with the fiscal 
year following the fiscal year in which this Act is enacted), the 
Secretary of Education shall provide local educational agencies and the 
major national education organizations, including those representing 
local school boards, local school superintendents, principals, and 
teachers, a minimum of 60 days in order to provide written comments 
regarding the local impact of implementing Federal regulations, rules, 
grant conditions, guidance materials, or other requirements for any 
applicable program or activity of the Secretary.
    (b) Report.--The Secretary of Education shall prepare and publish a 
report based on the comments received pursuant to subsection (a), which 
shall be forwarded to the chairs and ranking members of the Education 
and Workforce Committee of the House of Representatives and the Health, 
Education, Labor and Pensions Committee of the Senate not later than 
July 1 of each year and shall be simultaneously posted on the 
Department of Education's website.

SEC. 5. EFFICIENCY IN IMPLEMENTING FEDERAL PROGRAMS.

    (a) Eliminating Reporting Duplications.--Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education 
shall conduct a review of existing reporting requirements applicable to 
local educational agencies resulting from programs and activities under 
the jurisdiction of the Department of Education to determine 
duplications and make modifications as necessary to eliminate such 
reporting duplications.
    (b) Prohibition.--The Secretary may not promulgate any regulation, 
rule, guidance material, grant condition, or other requirement 
pertaining to a State educational agency or a local educational agency, 
without first taking the following actions:
            (1) Requesting data and recommendations from State 
        educational agencies, local educational agencies, and the major 
        national education organizations representing chief State 
        school officers, local school boards, local school 
        superintendents, principals, and teachers regarding the 
        educational, financial, and operational costs involved for 
        implementation, and publishing the data and recommendations 
        provided upon issuance of such regulation, rule, guidance 
        material, grant condition, or other requirement and posting 
        that information on the Department of Education's website.
            (2) Verifying, based on the data set forth in paragraph 
        (1), that local educational agencies will have the financial 
        resources and the technical assistance such agencies may need 
        to successfully implement the regulation, rule, guidance 
        material, grant condition, or other requirement, including any 
        Federal requirement that would extend beyond the time that 
        Federal assistance is available for that purpose.
            (3) Providing State educational agencies, local educational 
        agencies, and the national education organizations identified 
        in paragraph (1) with not less than 60 days notice following 
        the Secretary's publication of a notice of intent to issue any 
        regulation, rule, guidance material, grant condition, or other 
        requirement to respond, unless a shorter time period is needed 
        to meet an emergency such as a declared natural disaster.
            (4) Ensuring that maximum flexibility is provided to State 
        educational agencies and local educational agencies in 
        implementing any regulation, rule, guidance material, grant 
        condition, or other requirement.
    (c) Review and Response.--If a local educational agency or an 
organization identified in subsection (b) provides the Secretary of 
Education with a written statement demonstrating that a regulation, 
rule, guidance material, grant condition, or other requirement does not 
meet the substantive or procedural requirements of this Act, the 
Secretary, or the Secretary's designee, shall review the merits of that 
statement, provide a written response within 60 days, and post that 
response on the Department of Education's website, including a 
description of what action, if any, the Secretary will take to correct 
any deficiency that the Secretary determines exists.

Summary: Local School Board Governance and Flexibility Act Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the responsibility for education resides with the states and the local educational agencies (LEAs) to which they have delegated authority. And (2) the Secretary of Education should only issue those regulations, rules, guidance materials, grant conditions, or other requirements that are specifically needed to implement federal legislation and are within LEAs' educational, operational, and financial capacity. Prohibits the Secretary, unless specifically authorized by federal law, from issuing regulations, rules, guidance materials, grant conditions, or other requirements pertaining to states or LEAs that: conflict with the authority of LEAs delegated to them by their state. Result in additional costs to LEAs for reporting, grant administration, and general operations that are not fully covered by the federal government. Conflict with the authority of LEAs to determine how to engage or act upon community participation and advice. Impose requirements on LEAs or state educational agencies (SEAs) that would adversely affect their authority to function as legislative, executive, or quasi-judicial agencies. Conflict with states' authority to determine the appropriate governance structure of their SEA or LEAs, or their SEA's or LEAs' authority to determine how schools are governed or managed. Establish SEA or LEA reporting requirements that duplicate existing federal requirements or are issued without first conducting a fiscal impact statement. Or place conditions or requirements on grants to states or LEAs that do not directly relate to, or do not directly support, the intent of the grants or legislation authorizing the grants. Directs the Secretary during each fiscal year to provide LEAs and the major national education organizations at least 60 days to provide written comments regarding the local impact of implementing federal regulations, rules, guidance materials, grant conditions, or other requirements for any applicable program or activity of the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to review existing LEA reporting requirements to identify and eliminate those that are duplicative. Prohibits the Secretary from promulgating federal regulations, rules, guidance materials, grant conditions, or other requirements pertaining to states or LEAs without first: requesting data and recommendations from SEAs, LEAs, and the major national education organizations regarding the educational, financial, and operational costs involved in implementing them. Verifying that LEAs will have the financial resources and technical assistance they may need to successfully implement the requirements. Giving SEAs, LEAs, and national educational organizations at least 60 days' notice to respond to such requirements before they are issued, except in certain emergencies. And giving SEAs and LEAs maximum flexibility in implementing the requirements. Provides that if an LEA or major national education organization provides the Secretary with a written statement demonstrating that a regulation, rule, guidance material, grant condition, or other requirement does not meet the substantive or procedural requirements of this Act, the Secretary must review the merits of the statement, issue a written response within 60 days, and post that response on the Department of Education's website.