Way back in the 50’s when I was attending school,our techer[s] informed us how the schools were supported and new schools were financed. In the area I grew up in it they were supported by property taxes and if the citizens believed they need a new school, they voted for to issue bonds.
With socialism the trend is inexorably toward greater and greater centralization. Town schools become county schools which become state schools that are eventually controlled nationally through legislation, the unions, and the crony- capitalist “education industrial complex”.
As for the voters:
1) There is inevitably the problem of which Alexis de Tocqueville warned. Once voters learn that they can vote themselves socialist goodies from out of their neighbor's pocket then it's downhill from there. Modern compulsory government schooling was a socialist “goodie” from its very beginnings in the mid-1800s to early 1900s. Simply by attending children ( and parents) learn that government has great power to give them socialist tuition-free schooling and babysitting, Well?...Why not use the voting booth for other goodles?
2) There is now an education-industrial complex. In my county government school workers are the single largest block of employees. No other business comes even close in the number of workers or in payroll. Add to this the **huge** number of crony-capitalist vendors and their employees who supply and service this education-industrial complex and the parents who enjoy taxpaid babysitting ( with minimal “schooling’).
In other words, Alexis de Tocqueville would agree with me. The voting mob wins. Whatever the education-industrial-complex wants, it gets at the voting booth.