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June 17, 2024 Letter from Secretary Cardona regarding the Government of Puerto Rico's Initiative for Decentralization of Education and Autonomy of Regions (IDEAR)


 

June 17, 2024

June 17, 2024
The Honorable Yanira Raíces Vega
Secretary of Education
150 Calle Federico Costas
Hato Rey, Puerto Rico 00919

Dear Secretary Raíces Vega:

On May 22, 2023, the Government of Puerto Rico (GPR) committed to decentralizing Puerto Rico's education system by creating the Initiative for Decentralization of Education and Autonomy of Regions (IDEAR) through the signing of Puerto Rico Executive Order OE-2023-014. This led to a community-informed decentralization plan that is currently supported with American Rescue Plan funding to GPR, with the goal of establishing the island's first autonomous local educational agency (LEA) by August 2024.

At the time of the Executive Order's signing, stakeholders from across the island and the Puerto Rican government recognized the challenges that Puerto Rico's centralized education system faces in delivering a high-quality education to its students. I share those concerns. Today, I write to you to urge the GPR to continue to prioritize the efforts that it has taken, as supported by the community, to improve educational opportunities for its students through decentralization. I hope to learn over the next few weeks about the progress that will be made towards achieving key benchmarks to achieve full decentralization of the system with a first provisional LEA by the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) continues to support the Puerto Rico Department of Education's (PRDE's) efforts to decentralize its unitary system that has historically limited local communities from accessing and making decisions regarding the best use of education funds to effectively serve their students. PRDE has made progress in the development of the first LEA separate from PRDE, which serves as the State educational agency (SEA) for Department grants. Specifically, at the start of this calendar year, three pilot regions each took on roles that an LEA traditionally fulfills in a decentralized system: the selection of their pilot LEA's own education leaders using local public governance structures, decision-making about local level purchasing, and the provision of special education and related services. Implementation working groups with education expertise across the island have contributed to a plan for the SEA's preparation to support LEAs, consistent with Federal requirements, along with a model for local public governance over schools.

All of these efforts have advanced Puerto Rico's vision to serve students and school communities based on their local needs. Still, much work remains to establish Puerto Rico's first autonomous, fully functioning LEA, and I expect to see this come to fruition regardless of political or other challenges. Several benchmarks remain that should receive expeditious attention, including the following important next steps that GPR indicated are part of its plan:

  1. The submission of PRDE's regulation as required by Puerto Rico Law 85 to the Puerto Rico Legislature, to formally establish and delegate power to Regional Education Offices.
  2. The selection of a Regional Superintendent, through the newly established governance process, to lead the region ultimately designated as the first LEA.
  3. The hiring of key staff positions at both the SEA and regional levels, including required professional development for staff in the region ultimately designated as the first LEA to receive and appropriately manage federal education funds.
  4. The assignment of adequate resources to permanently staff the IDEAR office, ensuring effective continuity, continued transparency, and consistent community engagement throughout this transformation.

In all of this work, IDEAR's mission to put students first should remain the north star. I look forward to having this be a continued collective commitment from all stakeholders to achieve the transformative and sustainable change that school communities have long desired. This belongs to no ideology; it is a Puerto Rican promise, and it should keep moving ahead.

As always, I continue to pledge the Department's support to the noble cause of putting students, educators, and families first.

Sincerely,
/s/
Miguel A. Cardona, Ed.D.
U.S. Secretary of Education
cc: The Honorable Pedro R. Pierluisi, Governor, Puerto Rico
Juan Carlos Blanco, Director, GPR Office of Budget and Management

Office of the Secretary (OS)
Page Last Reviewed:
January 14, 2025