This is your last lesson before the term ends!!! Don't forget to take the MIDTERM test, you can find the link to the exam at the top of this page. Make sure to turn in all your assignments and the MIDTERM before October 14, 2015 at midnight! Units 3 & 4 will be up on this website on October 20th, and you will be able to finish the second half of this course
Lesson 14
analyze how local government works
The local government is made up of counties, towns, cities, and municipalities. To put it simply, Local Government is anything under the state level. Local governments have the right to choose what type of government they want and how it works.
What about Utah County? How does our county's government work? Take a look here: http://www.utahcounty.gov/CountyInfo/CountyGovernment.html
There are also SPECIAL DISTRICTS. Special districts are created when the county or city can't or won't take on a certain responsibility. Some special districts are created to manage things like: water supply, electric power, the transportation system etc.
A school district could be considered a Special District. It can be part of both counties and different cities. Take Alpine School District for example. That school district is located in multiple cities like Lehi, Pleasant Grove, Alpine, etc. And they are all part of Utah County.
What about Utah County? How does our county's government work? Take a look here: http://www.utahcounty.gov/CountyInfo/CountyGovernment.html
There are also SPECIAL DISTRICTS. Special districts are created when the county or city can't or won't take on a certain responsibility. Some special districts are created to manage things like: water supply, electric power, the transportation system etc.
A school district could be considered a Special District. It can be part of both counties and different cities. Take Alpine School District for example. That school district is located in multiple cities like Lehi, Pleasant Grove, Alpine, etc. And they are all part of Utah County.
Schools need money to function. Where do schools get their money? The government needs money to fund programs. Take a look at this article 'Financing State and Local Government'.
Because schools want money from their state and from the Federal Government, they do what the state and the Federal Government want them to do so they can receive funding. The government sets standards for education. For this class the government tells me as a teacher exactly what you are supposed to learn. Because our school follows these guidelines we can receive money from the government. A Charter School is still a public school.
Some schools don't want to follow these government regulations- these schools are Private Schools because they don't receive money from the government. Since running a school is pretty expensive, Private Schools usually cost money to attend.
And schools are just one example of receiving funding from the government. Many other programs follow government regulations because they want to receive government funding. Systems like the National Recreation and Parks Association was set up by the government. The government is also in charge of the Postal Service. Since they fund these programs, they have control over what they do and what rules they follow.
The Federal Government also gives money to State and Local governments. But when the Federal Government gives them money, they tell the States and the Local Governments how they need to spend the money.
It's like when a college gives you a scholarship. Depending on the type of scholarship, sometimes they just send the college student a check. They expect this money to go towards educational costs like textbooks and school supplies. This is similar to the way that the Federal Government tells the States and Local Governments what they can spend Federal money on and what they can't spend their money on.
And that is a simplified version of how the government controls different programs across the nation.
Because schools want money from their state and from the Federal Government, they do what the state and the Federal Government want them to do so they can receive funding. The government sets standards for education. For this class the government tells me as a teacher exactly what you are supposed to learn. Because our school follows these guidelines we can receive money from the government. A Charter School is still a public school.
Some schools don't want to follow these government regulations- these schools are Private Schools because they don't receive money from the government. Since running a school is pretty expensive, Private Schools usually cost money to attend.
And schools are just one example of receiving funding from the government. Many other programs follow government regulations because they want to receive government funding. Systems like the National Recreation and Parks Association was set up by the government. The government is also in charge of the Postal Service. Since they fund these programs, they have control over what they do and what rules they follow.
The Federal Government also gives money to State and Local governments. But when the Federal Government gives them money, they tell the States and the Local Governments how they need to spend the money.
It's like when a college gives you a scholarship. Depending on the type of scholarship, sometimes they just send the college student a check. They expect this money to go towards educational costs like textbooks and school supplies. This is similar to the way that the Federal Government tells the States and Local Governments what they can spend Federal money on and what they can't spend their money on.
And that is a simplified version of how the government controls different programs across the nation.