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1 1 (April 28, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govellp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: CongressionaI Research Service Informing the legislitive debate since 1914 Updated April 28, 2023 DOD Domestic School System: Background and Issues The Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) manages a federal school system that provides pre- kindergarten through grade 12 education, primarily for the children of active duty servicemembers living on military installations. In 2023, DODEA operated 160 schools globally, including 50 domestic schools across 17 installations and one virtual school. These schools employ nearly 12,000 staff for a student population of about 70,000. Military families have generally cited the availability of DOD schools as a positive quality-of-life issue. This report focuses only on DOD's Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS). Legkslatnve Background Since the early 1800s, commanders on military installations had established their own schools. In 1950, Congress consolidated the funding and operation of installation-run schools under the Office of Education - later the Department of Education (ED) as part of Section 6 of P.L. 81-874. Between 1950 and 1980 these Section 6 schools were established in locales where (1) state laws prohibited tax revenues of the state or any political subdivision of the state to be expended for free public education of children residing on federal property; or (2) education systems within the local communities were judged unable to provide suitable free public education. Though the law did not define suitable education, some were established to provide a racially integrated schooling option for children of servicemembers (e.g., Maxwell Elementary School, Alabama). Others were established at installations in remote or sparsely populated locations. The 1981 Omnibus Reconciliation Act (P.L. 97-35) shifted funding responsibility for all DOD schools from ED to DOD. In 1994, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 (P.L. 103-337) replaced the Section 6 legislation and renamed the school system the Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS). During that time period, Congress sought to transfer control of many installation-based schools to local education authorities (LEAs; P.L. 99-167). Congress has periodically requested studies on the divestiture of the remaining DOD domestic schools to LEAs. Autho ites Section 2164 of Title 10, United States Code, provides the statutory authority for the Secretary of Defense to enter into arrangements to provide for the elementary and secondary education for children of members of the Armed Forces and DOD civilian employees assigned domestically (to include any U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or possession). Factors to be considered when determining whether to provide for domestic education include the extent to which 1) children are eligible for free public education in the local area adjacent to the military installation, and 2) the ability of LEAs to provide an appropriate public school educational program for such children. i mpact Aid Approximately 1.1 million school-aged children have at least one parent in the military, and nearly 80% of these children attend non-DDESS public schools off military bases. Since 1950 (P.L. 81-874), LEAs have been authorized to receive financial aid, called Impact Aid from ED for federally connected students enrolled in local public schools to compensate for a substantial and continuing financial burden resulting from federal activities. DOD administers an Impact Aid Program in addition to the ED program for LEAs that meet certain conditions. For more background on ED and DOD Impact Aid, please see CRS Report R45400, Impact Aid, Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act: A Primer. Enrollment Ekgibility Dependent children of U.S. military and DOD civilian employees living on an installation with a DDESS school are eligible to attend that school tuition-free. Other dependent children of DOD military, federal civilian employees, and foreign militaries may be eligible for tuition-free enrollment under certain circumstances. Children of DOD contractors are not eligible to enroll. DDESS schools may accept dependent children of other non-DOD federal agency employees for tuition reimbursement by the agency; however, DDESS may not accept tuition from individuals. Tuition rates for domestic schools for the 2022-2023 school year were between $22,000 and $26,000, depending on the student's grade. DDESS Budget The DDESS budget is supported by defense-wide Operation and Maintenance (O&M), Military Construction (MILCON), and Procurement appropriations. The O&M budget for DDESS includes items such as salaries, travel, contracts, supplies, and equipment. MILCON funds are typically appropriations for projects like new school construction or additions to existing schools. Table I. DOD Domestic School O&M Funding Current dollars in millions FY2022 FY2023 FY2024 (actual) (enacted) (request) O&M $674.386 $670.103 $717.001 Source: DOD Comptroller, Budget Books Note: O&M enacted funding for overseas DOD schools was $1.236 billion for FY2023.

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