All of the following are powers of the states to maintain and support schools except?

• A. levying taxes for school support
• B. determining minimum standards for teacher certification
• C. identifying approved textbooks
• D. the right to fire teachers within local bargaining units

Answer: (D)

The key idea here is how education is governed in the United States: states set the framework for funding, standards, and curriculum, while day-to-day employment decisions for teachers are handled largely at the local level within that framework. States determine who can teach by setting minimum standards for certification, and they influence what is taught by approving textbooks. They also provide funding for schools, which often involves the power to levy taxes or at least to authorize funding formulas that support schools.

The action of firing teachers within local bargaining units belongs to the local level—school boards, districts, and the terms negotiated in collective bargaining agreements. These decisions are governed by local contracts and personnel policies, and while state laws shape due process protections and tenure rules, the actual firing within a bargaining unit is not a direct state power to maintain and support schools.

So, the statement that does not reflect a state power is the right to dismiss teachers within local bargaining units.