INTRODUCTION

The enactment of the Federal Constitution of 1988 (FC — ^{Brasil, 1988}) and the Law of Lines of Direction and Bases of the Education (LDBEN — Law No. 9.394/1996 — ^{Brasil, 1996a}) establish the federative entities — Union, States, Federal District, and Municipalities — privative attributions for each instance, being the Education of common and concurrent competence. Article Eighth of Law No. 9.394/1996 (ibidem) enables each federative entity to organize, in a collaborative scheme, their respective education systems.

Currently, the discussion about the Municipal Education System is of great relevance, as municipalities face many challenges since they became autonomous in establishing their education system and leading educational public policies.

The article 11th of the LDBEN (ibidem, n.p., our translation) specifies the duties of the municipalities, allowing them to integrate the state education system “[…] or to compound with them a unique system of basic education […]” besides:

II – exerting redistributive action concerning its schools;

III – enacting complementary norms for its educational system;

IV – authorizing, accrediting, and supervising the schools in its educational system;

V – offering early childhood education in kindergartens and preschools, and, as a priority, basic education, being allowed to act in other levels of education only when the needs of its area of competence are fully met and with resources above the minimum percentages established by the Federal Constitution to the maintenance and development of education;

VI – assuming the school transportation of students from the municipal network.

In this perspective, making use of the prerogative of autonomy as a federative entity, the municipality of Cachoeira do Sul, located 196 km from the capital Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul, with 81.869 inhabitants (estimated population by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics — ^{IBGE, 2020}), has created its education system through the Municipal Law No. 3.177, of January 19, 2000 (^{Cachoeira do Sul, 2000}). According to ^{IBGE (2020)}, its area is 3.736,158 km² and the economy is essentially agrarian, standing out as the largest producer of pecan nuts in Latin America, and holding the title of National Capital of Rice. In the educational panorama, according to data from ^{IBGE (2020)}, the schooling rate from 6 to 14 years old (2010) is 98,7%, with 9.621 enrollments in elementary schools and 2.309 (2018) in secondary schools. According to the Social Map of the Public Prosecution Office (Ministério Público do Rio Grande do Sul, 2019), there are 3.426 children enrolled in early childhood education. The Municipal Education System of Cachoeira do Sul (RS) retains 45 schools: 40 municipal schools and five schools of early childhood education maintained by the private initiative (2020), with 6.277 students enrolled in municipal schools and 1.278 children in private schools.

In 2000, the Municipal Government assumed the responsibility of conducting local education, guaranteeing its organization with the minimum conditions to function.

According to ^{Bordignon (2013}, p. 25, our translation):

A system comprises a set of elements, ideas, and/or concepts that maintain a relationship among themselves, forming a structure. Elements are structured parts in an interdependent relationship, forming a whole endowed with a certain degree of harmony and autonomy and directed towards a purpose.

Thus, before the concept of system defined by ^{Bordignon (2013}, p. 25, our translation), we are to reflect upon: what is the set of “elements” that involves the system? What would be the “whole endowed with a certain degree of harmony and autonomy”? How should be this “interdependent relationship” among structured elements parts?

In this sense, the municipality advances as regards the principles of democratic management of public education by creating its system, constituting an important participation mechanism through the Municipal Council of Education (CME). The set of “elements” that involves the system are the organs and institutions that form it: the Municipal Secretary of Education (SMEd), as the system's managing organ; the CME, as the normative organ; and the schools, maintained by the municipal government and the schools of early childhood education, maintained by the private sector. The “whole, endowed with a certain degree of harmony and autonomy” would be the complementary norms created by the normative organ: they legitimize the local power and complement the norms issued by the National Council of Education (CNE), considering the peculiarities and the desires of the municipality. However, all the elements that comprise the Municipal Education System are interdependent and, acting in articulation, form this “harmonious whole endowed with a certain degree of autonomy”.

Given this perspective, this study is the result of broader research¹ and analyzes the Municipal Education System of Cachoeira do Sul (RS) from the Brazilian educational policy scenario, aiming to understand the processes of [re] articulation of the Municipal Education System, in order to contribute to the strengthening and quality of democratic educational management. For that, it seeks to discuss public policies in the scope of educational management and to analyze the practices of articulation of the Municipal System of Education, proposing indicators of quality and the Observatory of Municipal Education of Cachoeira do Sul (RS).

Thus, we have the following problem: how does the Municipal Education System of Cachoeira do Sul (RS) articulate itself and what are the perspectives that can contribute to the strengthening and the quality of the processes of democratic educational management?

To discuss the ideas centered on the processes of [re] articulation of the Municipal Education System of Cachoeira do Sul (RS), the text initially brings the context of public policies in the scope of educational management; then, it analyzes the practices of articulation of the Municipal Education System, presenting quality indexes and the Observatory of Municipal Education of Cachoeira do Sul (RS) (OBEMCS)² as perspectives of [re] articulation of the Municipal Education System.

The research methodology is anchored in the qualitative approach and the case study. ^{Yin (2010}, p. 39, our translation) points out that the case study “[…] is an empirical investigation that investigates a contemporary phenomenon in depth and its real-life context […]”. For ^{Gil (2017)}, the case study is characterized by the exhaustive and deep study of one or a few cases to wide and detailed knowledge.

The techniques used to produce data were based on semi-structured interviews with educational managers (the Municipal Secretary of Education, two counselors, and a technician from the CME and on an online questionnaire applied to 44 school managers from municipal schools and private-sector schools for early childhood education.

The interviews were conducted³ in person with audio recordings for greater interaction with the collaborators so that from the dialogue it was possible to deal with more complex issues. The selection criterion sought the social significance of the participants, and in the CME sphere we chose a more experienced councilor and another with less experience, as well as a technical advisor. The link to the online questionnaire, developed through Google Forms, was sent to school managers by WhatsApp to reach the largest number of people. The representativeness of the school managers was significant, once 97.72% (43 schools) returned the questionnaire duly filled, although, in certain questions, there were not 100% responses. It provided a reflection on the motives and the sphere of the school that did not respond: municipal (37 managers) and private (six managers).

It is noteworthy that were considered as theoretical contributions to data analysis: the Brazilian educational legislation such as the Federal Constitution of 1988 (^{Brasil, 1988}), the LDBEN (Law No. 9.394/1996 — ^{Brasil, 1996a}), the National Education Plan (Law No. 13.005/2014 — ^{Brasil, 2014}), municipal laws and documents of Cachoeira do Sul (RS), and authors such as ^{Bordignon (2013)}, ^{Dourado, Oliveira, and Santos (2007)}, ^{Dourado (2013)} and ^{Saviani (2014)}.

Hence, the interviews are presented by the following nomenclatures: S.E1 (secretary of Education, interview 1), C.E2 (councilor, interview 2), C.E3 (councilor, interview 3), T.E4 (CME technician, interview 4), M.S 2Q (municipal school, manager of school #2, questionnaire), M.S 8Q (municipal school, manager of school #8), M.S 38Q (municipal school, manager of school #38), M.S 39Q (municipal school, manager of school #39) and P.S 40Q (private school, manager of school #40, questionnaire).

EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF PUBLIC POLICIES

Brazilian education, anchored by the LDBEN (Law n° 9.394/1996 — ^{Brasil, 1996a}, n.p., our translation), article eight, proposes a systemic organization, that is, “[…] the Union, the States, the Federal District, and the Municipalities will organize, in a collaborative regime, their respective Teaching Systems.”.

Brazil, as a federative country, shares power with each entity that has its competence, establishing that states and municipalities realize the right to Basic Education. The Federal Constitution of 1988 (^{Brasil, 1988}, n.p., our translation), in its article 211, § 2, states that “[…] the Municipalities will give priority to primary and early childhood education.”, while the States and the Federal District will act in primary and secondary education.

Still, in the same article of the Magna Carta of 1988, in § 1, it is established that

The Union will organize the federal education system and the Territories, will finance the federal public educational institutions, and will exercise, in educational matters, a redistributive and supplementary function to guarantee equalization of educational opportunities and a minimum standard of educational quality through technical and financial assistance to the States, the Federal District, and the Municipalities (^{Brasil, 1988}, n.p., our translation).

Concerning the organization of Brazilian education, the Federal Constitution of 1988 instates a federal education system that comprises “[…] the institutions, agencies, laws, and rules that, under the responsibility of the Union, the federal government, are implemented in the states and municipalities.” (^{Libâneo, Oliveira and Toschi, 2012}, p. 331, our translation). Thus, the Ministry of Education (MEC) is the executive organ of the federal education system and the CNE is the collegiate organ that regulates the system. The CNE replaced the Council of Federal Education, established in 1961, and, employing Law n° 9.131 of November 24, 1995 (^{Brasil, 1995}), was created and defined as an organ with normative, deliberative, and advisory attributions to the MEC.

Regarding the context of educational management, in a federative country that shares power with each entity, it is evident the range of challenges and the need to create a federative system that can mitigate the weaknesses experienced by national education in the Union, the 26 states, the Federal District, and over 5,500 municipalities.

The municipalities are challenged by the National Education Plan (PNE), Law n° 13.005/2014 (^{Brasil, 2014}), to expand early childhood education supply in kindergartens to meet at least 50% of children by 2024, besides universalizing pre-school education, nine-year elementary school, among 18 other goals related to the stages and modalities of basic education.

The Ministry of Education, through the PNE em Movimento (^{Brasil, 2018}, n.p., our translation), recognizes that “[…] some federative entities have more responsibilities than others with certain stages or modalities of national education […]” while treating the plan's goals as a challenge that requires the mobilization of all federative entities.

In this vein, the National Education Plan (Law n° 13.005/2014 — ^{Brasil, 2014}) provides, in article 13, the institution of the National Education System, in a specific law, within two years after the publication of the Law.

A national system, in a federative and republican regime, is based on guidelines and bases of national education that should cover the set of education systems: the federal, state, district, and municipal ones and, within them, the public and private networks that constitute them. And the mutual connection among them, in 1988 constitutionally defined under the aegis of the collaboration regime (article 211), now, under the new concept, should mean something more than just a new term to say the same thing. (^{Cury, 2015}, p. 11, our translation)

A national system of education goes beyond a federal system. Its logic is centered on the articulation and collaboration regime for the fulfillment of the purposes of national education. The National System of Education (SNE) has not yet been instituted in specific law due to the set of obstacles that hinder its construction and that are specified, such as economic, marked by the historical resistance to the maintenance of public education in Brazil; political, which are portrayed by the discontinuity in public policies at each change of administration; philosophical-ideological, which arise from the resistance at the level of ideas, considered as a limitation concerning the “pedagogical mentality”; and the legal obstacles, resulting from the resistance of legislative activity (^{Saviani, 2014}, p. 40, our translation).

In such a way, we can conceptualize the National Education System as “[…] the unity of various aspects or educational services mobilized by a country, intentionally brought together so that they form a coherent whole […]” (^{Saviani, 2014}, p. 51, our translation). The concept expresses the need for a system that acts effectively in the process of ensuring the population the right to education.

The institution of the National Education System (SNE) has been the target of debates and disputes from the conceptual field to the understanding that there is already an instituted system. However, Law No. 13.005/2014 (^{Brasil, 2014}), which institutes the National Education Plan (from 2014 to 2024), brings, in article 13, the need to incorporate the SNE in a specific law by the year 2016. Hence, ^{Dourado (2013}, p. 776, our translation) points out that the “[…] SNE is not instituted, even though we have guidelines and bases for national education and the organization of education systems, among others.”. The National Education System according to ^{Saviani (2014)} would be the intentional organization of means to achieve the goals proposed by the LDBEN. The discussion on the SNE brings important contributions expressed in the Conae Reference Document regarding collegiate organs:

Thus, it is up to the SNE instances to define and guarantee common purposes, guidelines, and educational strategies, without prejudice to the specificities of each system, and to assume the articulation, lawmaking, coordination, and regulation of public and private national education. In such a system, the national, state, district, and municipal councils, organized with the guarantee of democratic management, are fundamental for the supervision and maintenance of common purposes, guidelines, and strategies. The process should ensure the consolidation of national, state, district, and municipal education forums, in articulation with the respective education systems and equivalent councils. (^{Dourado, 2013}, p. 779, our emphasis, our translation)

So, wouldn't the institution of the SNE be a strategy to avoid the discontinuity of educational policies? In this perspective, the CNE would have as its competence the supervision and maintenance of common purposes, guidelines, and strategies, which, today, it does not retain. According to article 7, § 1^st, of Law No. 9.131/1995 (^{Brasil, 1995}, n.p., our translation), the CNE is responsible for

Finally, in this discussion, there are more questions than answers. Brazilian education has been developing actions through various biases, conceptions, and administrative and pedagogical mindsets. However, challenges persist, and new plans are created, with practically the same goals and the same scenario of reinventing the wheel.

From this perspective, ^{Dourado (2013)} notes that the guarantee of the right to education would be a possibility to advance the articulation between the SNE and the PNE as State policies. So, the different spheres of government would be involved in the education systems to meet the different levels and stages of basic education, in a “[…] regime of co-responsibility where there is organicity between the financial capacity and the respective responsibilities of each federated entity […]” (^{Dourado, 2013}, p. 779, our translation).

Before many challenges of Brazilian education, millions of students are under the responsibility of the municipalities, which are committed to providing a basic, public, and quality education. The efforts to make education more accessible to all have been increasing over the years. We can highlight some important policies that underlie this movement in search of equity and quality in Brazil, through public educational policies (Chart 1).

However, in the scenario of educational management and Brazilian policies that are based on the quality of education, we find challenging elements, which often arise from the influence of international organizations, such as access, equity, quality, and educational reform X economic development. So, how has Brazil been working with these concepts? How do these concepts translate into the education systems?

Access, quality, and democratic management integrate the principles of national education, which are expressed in the Federal Constitution of 1988 (^{Brasil, 1988}) and in the LDBEN (Law No. 9.394/1996 — ^{Brasil, 1996a}). The first principle, which deals with “[…] equal conditions for access to and permanence in school.” (ibidem, n.p., our translation), reinforces the right to education and the need for students to remain in the institution. This permanence goes beyond the student's attendance at school: it reflects the importance of learning and the recognition of the needs of each person who is part of the educational process. In this context, the term equity appears in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, linked to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which “[…] calls for inclusive and equitable quality education […]” (^{UNESCO, 2019}, p. 7, our translation).

The concept of quality in education is very dynamic and moves according to social and economic changes. Therefore, it is a complex subject that requires numerous reflections, especially on the factors that contribute to the quality of education. In this regard, anchored in the CONAE 2010 Reference Document, ^{Gadotti (2010}, p. 8, our translation) emphasizes that “[…] there is no quality in education without the participation of society […]”.

The participation of society in the decision-making process is part of the net that structures an educational system, once democratic management, as a principle of Brazilian public education, is one of the essential factors for the quality of education. ^{Lück (2009}, p. 75, our translation) points out that “[…] democratic management presupposes the mobilization and organization of people to act collectively in the promotion of educational goals […]”. Thus, understanding these concepts and analyzing them in the context of practice is essential to guarantee the right to education with social quality.

Thus, through opinions, resolutions, and guidelines issued by the CNE, it has sought to understand concepts. In Opinion CNE/CEB No. 5/2011 (^{Brasil, 2011}, p. 10, our translation), the CNE deals with the concept of social quality as

[…] an achievement to be collectively built in a negotiated way, because it means something that is materialized from the quality of the relationship between all subjects that act directly and indirectly in it. It means understanding that education is a process of production and socialization of the culture of life, in which knowledge and values are built, maintained, and transformed. Producing and socializing culture includes ensuring the presence of the learning subjects at school. Thus, the social quality of school education means finding political, administrative, and pedagogical alternatives that ensure access, permanence, and success of the individual in the school system, not only by reducing dropout, grade repetition, and age/grade distortion but also by effective learning.

In this sphere, based on the concept expressed by the CNE, we ought to understand: how is the municipal education system organized? What are its conceptions of education and social quality?

Figure 1 reveals important elements for the quality assurance of the Municipal Education System while reinforcing its existence supported by the Federal Constitution of 1988 (^{Brasil, 1988}) and by the LDBEN (Law n° 9.394/1996 — ^{Brasil, 1996a}), followed by the principle of democratic management. In this perspective, the SMEd, the CME, and the schools need to act articulately, based on the system's norms, in order to guarantee the right to education for all students. To this end, the focus of the educational system management must be on learning with equity and quality in the different stages and modalities of basic education. The autonomy of the municipality will be assured as all the organs and schools of the Municipal Education System use the norms as elements of articulation to fulfill the goals of the municipal education.

Source: Elaborated by the authors, according to the 1988 Federal Constitution (^{Brasil, 1988}) and the LDBEN (Law No. 9.394/96 — ^{Brasil, 1996a}).

Figure 1 Organization flow chart for Municipal Education System quality. SMEd: Secretaria Municipal de Educação; CME: Conselho Municipal de Educação. 

In this sense, articulation among the organs themselves and among the organs and the schools in the System and democratic management, being CME an important mechanism for participation, are important dimensions that reveal the quality of the education system settled. In relation to democratic management, the PNE (Law No. 13.005/2014 — ^{Brasil, 2014}, n.p., our translation) establishes goal 19: “Ensure conditions, within 2 (two) years, to implement democratic educational management associated with technical criteria of merit and performance, and public consultation with the school community in public schools, providing resources and technical support for this.”.

Among the strategies for the achievement of the goal, the highlights are 19.4, 19.5, and 19.6, which reinforce the need to stimulate the constitution and strengthen education councils and school councils as important instruments of participation and articulation.

Therefore, ^{Gadotti (2014}, p. 4, our translation) states that:

It is not enough to create mechanisms for popular participation and social control of public education policies; it is also necessary to simultaneously create the conditions for participation. The civil society participates whenever it is called upon, but with great difficulty. To be qualified, participation needs to be preceded by an understanding — often technical and scientific — of what is being discussed: knowing how to read cost sheets, budgets, etc.

Hence, participation strengthens and qualifies local power, ensuring the autonomy of the Municipal Educational System. This autonomy is based on participation, thinking, and acting collectively for the construction, implementation, and monitoring of educational policies.

In the literature, no standard or recipe indicates the quality of the Municipal Education System, but the document “Indicators of quality in education”, developed by Ação Educativa, Fundo das Nações Unidas para a Infância (UNICEF), Programa das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento (PNUD) and Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais (INEP — 2004, p. 5, our highlight, our translation), emphasizes that “Quality is a dynamic concept, constantly reconstructed.”.

According to this perspective, municipal education management includes dynamic processes of coordination of the school system and its schools. Such management is aligned with the guidelines and policies of national education. In this field, what is meant by Municipal Education System?

We have already seen that a system comprises different elements that, in a coordinated and interdependent way, form a complex and intentional whole. Thus, “[…] by composing an intentional meeting of material and non-material aspects, these elements do not lose their specificity, their individuality [.”.]” (^{Libâneo, Oliveira, and Toschi, 2012}, p. 314, our translation).

Also, we can register that, from the conceptual analysis of the historical and semantic meaning of the word, it is important to keep in mind that the system “s “[…] always a product of human acti”n.” (^{Saviani, 2014}, p. 1, our translation). At this juncture, the process of transformation exercised by humankind on the environment in which they live, through a conscious stance, makes them able to systematize, i.e., give intentionality.

The Opinion No. 30/2000 (^{Brasil, 2000}), from the CNE, says that the term system comes from the Greek systêma, which means whole and organ of elements, being a composition of syn (in Latin, cum, in Portuguese, com) + ístemi (to be next to). In the same opinion, a system is defined “[…] as coexisting elements side by side and by living together within the same order form an articulated whole.” (ibidem, p. 2, our translation).

Also the municipality, as already presented, when creating its education system, holds the autonomy to define educational policies, and accredit and authorize the operation of schools. As an administrative instance, in the use of its legal prerogatives supported by the LDBEN (^{Brasil, 1996a}), aligned with the FC of 1988 (^{Brasil, 1988}), in articles 11 and 18, it may issue complementary norms for its educational system. So, “the laws constitute, in the municipal sphere, elements of articulation between the education systems.” (^{Libâneo, Oliveira, and Toschi, 2012}, p. 338, our translation), that is, the state and federal laws followed by the municipality presuppose a systemic articulation.

Accordingly, municipal systems are composed of historically consolidated elements, in which there are the administrative and normative organs, the SMEd and the CME, respectively, “[…] which together have been responsible for coordinating the elaboration, in a participatory way, of the educational proposal of the municipality that gives consistency to the system.” (^{Sari, 2015}, p. 226, our translation). Next, the main elements that compound the Municipal Education System will be analyzed.

THE MUNICIPAL SECRETARY OF EDUCATION

The Municipal Secretary of Education (SMEd), an administrative organ and of political representation, has numerous functions that are based on, at least, three dimensions: pedagogical, administrative, and financial. These dimensions are anchored in the municipality's competencies, provided for in the Federal Constitution of 1988 (^{Brasil, 1988}), in the LDBEN (^{Brasil, 1996a}), and in the very law that institutes the Municipal Education System. To guarantee the supply of public education with social quality and equity, it is necessary to plan, evaluate the educational policy, and develop progressive degrees of school autonomy in pedagogical, administrative, and financial aspects, as well as to develop the management of people and materials in the principles of democratic management of education.

THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF EDUCATION

The history of the Councils of Education in Brazil is permeated by a journey of technical advisory organs, both at the national and state levels. The CME began to strengthen as an indispensable organ in the structure of the Municipal Education System after the FC of 1988 (^{Brasil, 1988}). Its functions have been re-signified as a mechanism of democratic management that enables the participation of society in the management of municipal education, that is, as a collegiate organ, it ceases to serve the government and becomes a State organ with social representation.

In this interim, the CME, in the context of the Municipal Education System, is a representative organ of the civil society, with a mediating role in the discussion, construction, and implementation of the municipal education policy. The organ, following the precepts of the LDBEN (Law No. 9.394/96 — ^{Brasil, 1996a}), is responsible for issuing complementary norms for the Municipal Education System. The set of complementary norms elaborated by the CME needs to guarantee the “[…] unity and coherence of the elements that constitute it […]” (^{Sari, 2001}, p. 79, our translation), that is, the appropriate norms to local peculiarities need to be complementary to national norms to guarantee the normative unity of education in the country.

The CME is composed of representatives from the Executive and civil society, with parity and plurality in the representation of society. It has several functions, which are highlighted in the law that created the SME and the CME, namely: consultative, normative, deliberative, and supervisory. The laws mentioned above do not bring propositional and mobilizing functions. Although in the set of rules issued by the collegiate, as well as in its internal rules, it is possible to notice the important role of the CME in this process of improvement and sensitization of the civil society in participation, construction, and monitoring of educational policies.

THE SYSTEM’S SCHOOLS

Schools maintained by the municipal government and private schools for early childhood education are part of the Municipal Education System. School is a key element of this mechanism called the “system”. The Municipal Education System only completes its purpose as the teaching organs and institutions come together to guarantee access, permanence, and, above all, learning success.

Indeed, a school is a space where educational policies are concretized and, for this reason, it needs constant oxygenation to achieve its objectives and its social function. In the organization of the Municipal Education System, public schools and private schools for early childhood education have their responsibilities defined by the very law that established the system, anchored by article 12 of the LDBEN (Law No. 9.394/96 — ^{Brasil, 1996a}).

The schools, in the context of the Municipal Education System, and their articulation processes in this whole complex, need to be comprehended in its entirety as a key factor for the goals of municipal education to be achieved. So, the engagement of public schools and schools of early childhood education maintained by the private sector is important.

Next, we will discuss the processes of [re] articulation of the Municipal Teaching System of Cachoeira do Sul (RS) and identify perspectives that can contribute to the strengthening and quality of democratic educational management.

PERSPECTIVES OF [RE] ARTICULATION IN THE MUNICIPAL EDUCATION SYSTEM OF CACHOEIRA DO SUL (RS)

The Municipal Education System of Cachoeira do Sul (RS), established in 2000, is composed of the SMEd, the CME, and 44 schools: 37 municipal and 7 maintained by the private sector.

Considering the management and [re] articulation processes that involve the Municipal Educational System, it is important to analyze the perspectives that can contribute to the strengthening and quality of democratic educational management. Certainly, to promote learning with social quality, it is necessary to guarantee the participation of society in the educational process, once democratic management is necessary to create the possibilities for collective action so that all members of this great net “[…] not only take part, on a regular and continuous basis, in its most important decisions but also make the necessary commitments for its implementation.”. (^{Lück, 2009}, p. 71, our translation)

From data produced in the study, systemic dimensions were organized that translate into quality indicators of the Municipal Education System. The dimensions emerged from the conceptions and perceptions of those surveyed in relation to the [re] articulation of the Municipal Education System of Cachoeira do Sul (RS). For each dimension, it was listed quality indicators of the teaching system, as depicted in Figure 2.

Source: Elaborated by the authors.

Figure 2 Systemic dimensions and quality indicators for [re] articulation in the Municipal Education System. SMEd: Secretaria Municipal de Educação. 

In this context, each dimension (Figure 2) was constructed and analyzed based on data produced in the research. The definitions of quality were listed from conceptions, values, scientific knowledge, and knowledge of those surveyed, as well as the historical and social context of the municipality. In the case study, comprehending the processes of [re] articulation of the Municipal Education System of Cachoeira do Sul (RS) is the driving factor to obtain the indicators that led to reflection and definition of paths for the improvement and quality of the educational system.

However, the reflection on the quality of the Cachoeira do Sul (RS) Municipal Education System. as well as its [re] articulation in the educational process, took into consideration important aspects, defined as dimensions: the [re] articulation among the system's organs and, accordingly, the [re] articulation of the organs (SMEd and CME) with the schools and the strengthening of participation spaces, from the perspective of democratic management.

In this field, in the conjuncture of the Municipal Education System of Cachoeira do Sul (RS), transversal indicators have emerged that permeate all processes of [re] articulation and contribute to the strengthening and quality of municipal education, being them: interlocution, participation, dialogue, transparency, collectivity, ethics, and autonomy. The purpose of the system is constantly recalled, in order to reinforce the goals of municipal education in the processes of [re] articulation and cooperation among the organs and schools that compound the Municipal Education System. Therefore, the dimensions and quality indicators are seen as important perspectives of [re] articulation of the municipal education system, as, during the research applied and involved in the context of educational management, it was possible to promote a dialogue between the indicators and the practical daily life of the organs and educational institutions which compound the municipal education system.

THE [RE] ARTICULATION BETWEEN THE ORGANS OF THE SYSTEM

The goals of the municipal education of Cachoeira do Sul (RS) affirm the identity of the Municipal Education System and guide the systemic coordination in the light of the principles expressed in the FC of 1988 and the LDBEN (Law No. 9.394/96 — ^{Brasil, 1996a}).

To sum up, the management of municipal education, which happens within the Municipal Education System, is committed to implementing educational policies in a transformative perspective, in such a way that the goals and objectives outlined become actions.

Surely, comprehending the conceptual field of the word “system”, in the context of municipal education management, is fundamental to performing a work articulated to the educational objectives expressed by the municipality. The fragment of the speech of interviewee T.E4 (May 3, 2019) registers that system: “[…] is like a wheel, and this wheel has to circulate, involving the secretary, the council, the schools, and all the people who are involved in it […]”.

Interviewee S.E1 (May 2, 2019), on the other hand, says that “We as a municipality have our system to create our laws, to authorize the operation of our schools. We can do this management, we no longer depend on the state to delegate something to us, what we can or cannot do.”.

As we can observe in these fragments, the respondents demonstrated knowledge about the conceptual and organizational sphere of the Municipal Education System. Thus, this dimension shows quality indicators that reveal the perspectives of [re] articulation between the system's organs, considering the performance of the SMEd and the CME according to the management organ and the normative organ of the Municipal Education System. They are interlocution, representativeness, purpose, technical knowledge, continuing education, and ethics. These indicators emerged from data that were produced through the study and, in this text, some of them are discussed in each dimension, such as the interlocution that is built through dialogue and the purpose, which portray the goals of the municipal education.

Nonetheless, it is possible to verify the existence of a movement of [re] articulation between SMEd and CME, once the interviewees (S.E1, C.E2, C.E3, and T.E4) reveal, in general, that there is a partnership between the organs. Interviewee S.E1 (May 2, 2019) points out that: “It is a relationship of dialogue. We always manage to reach a consensus: what is best for our schools. More and more we are trying to expand this relationship.”.

^{Bordignon (2013)}, when talking about the duality of attributions of the education system's organs, points out that power relations are not always harmoniously articulated. However, interviewee C.E3 (May 10, 2019) considers the relationship: “Very good. There is no feud! It is an attempt at dialogue, to match what would be ideal with what is possible.”.

Interviewee C.E2 (30 April, 2019) says that: “The relationship is very positive, also because the council has a representative from the Municipal Secretary of Education. We always have this opportunity to work together, and this relationship should be systemic.”.

Currently, systemic engagement to fulfill the purpose of the system is essential if we are to have an autonomous, quality municipal education for all. In the school's view, manager E.M 39Q (30 April, 2019) says it is “A partnership where everyone aims at a single goal: quality education.”.

Manager E.P 40Q (30 April, 2019) realizes “As a dialog relationship integrating the local society through the representatives of the two entities, always with the commitment to the municipality's education.”.

In the statements of the managers, it is possible to see the articulation between the agencies and the awareness that they are all working towards the same goal.

Chart 2 describes each quality indicator that emerged from the contributions of the collaborators to this study.

Considering the indicators presented, it is understood that harmony and articulation between the two organs are extremely important so that each one, according to their competencies, can act to guarantee the right to quality public education for all.

In this bias, it is important to highlight the importance of the CME in strengthening democratic management, as a channel for collective participation. Participation enables the effective monitoring of educational policies, social control, and the democratization of education. Far beyond being one of the principles of Brazilian education, the democratic management of public education is a driver of quality in education, according to ^{Gadotti (2010}, p. 8, our translation), “[…] only learn those who actively participate in what they are learning.”. For this reason, it is necessary to strengthen the spaces for participation in the management of the municipal education system to promote articulation and integration among the different actors in society.

THE [RE] ARTICULATION BETWEEN THE MUNICIPAL SECRETARY OF EDUCATION AND THE SYSTEM’S SCHOOLS

The role of the SMEd as the system's managing organ is extremely challenging, and perhaps little discussed in the academic context. Once it is an articulator, the actions developed need to happen in a collaborative and integrated way with the schools. Figure 3 represents the school managers’ understanding of the system.

Source: Elaborated by the authors.

Figure 3 Municipal Educational System: school managers’ conceptions. SME: Sistema Municipal de Ensino. 

It is noteworthy that 78% of the research participants who answered the questionnaire consider the Municipal Education System as a set of organs and educational institutions that act with the same purpose, and 22% are still unclear about the concept of the education system. The data point to the need to promote the visibility of the Municipal Education System, as the union of efforts among all its elements will help to ensure the right to education.

The articulation between the SMEd and the schools is, however, essential for the effectiveness of educational policies and to guarantee the right to education, as provided by the Brazilian Magna Carta. The dimension [Re] articulation between the SMEd and schools considers quality indicators of the Municipal Education System of Cachoeira do Sul (RS): support, planning, purpose, integration, continuing education, laws, and norms. Next, planning is presented as an important indicator in the management structure, an instrument of democratic management, and an integrating and indispensable axis in the articulation of educational policies.

For the most part, the managers view SMEd as a supportive supporting organ for the work that is developed by them in the school. Furthermore, school manager E.M 2Q (April 30, 2019) summarizes the role of SMEd as: “The organ that articulates, manages, and executes all public policies related to education.”.

Hence, the SMEd must work to meet the goals outlined in the Municipal Education Plan and to build a collective plan with the schools that address the different dimensions of school management: pedagogical, administrative, and financial.

In this sphere, Chart 3 gathers the emerging indicators from this dimension and scores the actions needed to strengthen the relationship and collaboration between SMEd and schools.

Thusly, a school is a space in which educational policies materialize, i.e., the objectives of the education system and learning are materialized, or not, on the school floor. Therefore, the [re] articulation between the SMEd and the schools needs to be supported by the educational policy collectively constructed in the Municipal Education Plan. The indicators must be fully articulated to avoid the discontinuity of policies and sudden changes in structures within the formative environments: the schools.

THE [RE] ARTICULATION BETWEEN THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF EDUCATION AND THE SYSTEM’S SCHOOLS

The role of the CME is somewhat complex in the context of educational management, mainly because the subjects that are part of the collegiate organ become counselors in the exercise of their function. Thus, throughout these 30 years of democratic republican regime, it has been observed that there are many weaknesses found at the core of the council's performance in the education system.

[…] the CMEs are still not being recognized by municipal managers as propositional organs and articulators of public policies; the lack of priority of some municipal managers regarding the creation of municipal education systems; the high turnover of members who integrate the CMEs; the lack of understanding by municipal education counselors about the functions and duties of the CME, which ends up contributing to misguided referrals or even the lack of knowledge and strengthening of the precepts of educational and democratic management. (^{Costa et al., 2015}, p. 53, our translation)

When analyzing the CME of Cachoeira do Sul (RS), from its restructuring after the creation of the Municipal Educational System, it can be said that the collegiate organ has recognition from the municipal managers and is autonomous.

Autonomy is one of the foundations of democratic management. Participation and exercise of citizenship mean the exercise of power. The conditions under which the council functions indicate the degree of autonomy and its importance in the management of the school system. Autonomy requires that the council be endowed with its own norms and objective conditions to carry out its responsibilities. (^{Bordignon, 2013}, p. 78, our translation)

Notwithstanding, although the CME has been operating effectively for over 30 years, it has weaknesses that need to be analyzed more specifically, some of them concerning: the publicity of its actions; the dialogue between the SMEd and the schools in the system; and the quality of its performance. It is understood that the strengthening of counselor training and the dialogue between the CME and the SMEd should be constant to legitimize the importance of the collegiate organ in decision-making and the quality of municipal education. However, considering the systemic view of relations, it is necessary to reflect on the existing articulation between the CME and the schools which integrate the Municipal Education System. The dimension [Re] articulation between the CME and the schools of the system brings as quality indicators: publicity, laws and rules, communication, and purpose, as we can see in Chart 4. We emphasize the indicator that provides articulation movements in the system to fulfill the purpose of the system.

The indicators shown in Chart 4 are useful to analyze the degree of coordination between the CME and the schools, as well as to verify the conditions under which the organ operates and its autonomy in relation to the school system. The CME is in a position to be a protagonist in the articulation between the elements of the system since it is a space for collectivity, dialogue, and the exercise of local power.

Therefore, 60.5% (26) of the school managers demonstrated knowing the work of the CME of Cachoeira do Sul (RS), as shown in Figure 4.

Source: Designed by the authors.

Figure 4 School Manager: Knowledge about the performance of the Conselho Municipal de Educação. 

The managers’ knowledge of the work of the CME is an interesting fact, as 39.5% of them recognize “in part” [partially] the collegiate organ. A deeper analysis reveals that most managers (9) are from municipal elementary schools. The managers of both municipal and private kindergarten schools are tied, with four managers having partial knowledge and one not answering the question.

Regarding the norms issued by the collegiate organ, the majority of managers (17) who do not know are from municipal schools, which represents 46% of the schools. This number is significant and raises a reflection on the articulation of the school organs and institutions based on the same planning that is outlined by laws and regulations. However, 100% of the school managers show they are aware of the collegiate organ's attributions, which are: advisory, normative, deliberative, and supervisory.

In this context, it is important to bring the CME closer to the schools in a more democratic and autonomous vision, so that it is possible to create strategies aimed at achieving the collectively constructed goals for municipal education. The CME, as one of the system's articulating organs, needs to develop its functions towards the totality of municipal education, going beyond the advisory, normative, deliberative, and supervisory functions, enabling new directions and contributing to the management of education in a systemic and democratic vision.

STRENGTHENING THE SYSTEM’S PARTICIPATION SPACES

The democratic management of public education is assured as a constitutional principle according to article 206, item VI, of the Brazilian Constitution (^{Brasil, 1988}). Furthermore, article 1 of the Brazilian Magna Carta (ibidem, n.p., our translation) establishes the Federative Republic of Brazil, formed by “[…] the indissoluble union of the states and municipalities and of the Federal District […]”, which is constituted as a democratic state under de Rule of Law with five defined foundations, being citizenship among them. The sole paragraph of the same article states that “[…] all power emanates from the people, who exercise it by means of elected representatives or directly, as provided under this Constitution.” (ibidem, n.p., our translation). In this vein, article 205 declares that it “[…] shall be promoted and fostered with the cooperation of society […]” (ibidem, n.p., our translation).

In such perspective, this last dimension and its indicators underscore the spaces that comprise the management of municipal education, namely: the CME, the Council of School Meals, and the Fundeb Council. It also underscores the creation of the Permanent Municipal Education Forum and its importance as another space for participation and monitoring of the municipality's educational policies.

The practice of participation in collegiate organs has been challenging in the context of the Municipal Education System of Cachoeira do Sul (RS), once the performance of the councils is not visible to the eyes of those who implement public educational policies: the school. When asked about the existing spaces for participation in the Municipal Education System, 50% of the school managers who responded to the survey highlighted the moments of participation provided by the Secretary, as we can observe in the speech of the manager E.M 38Q (April 30, 2019): “In the meetings promoted by the SMEd for managers, the group's desires and suggestions can serve as a basis for the construction of educational public policies, through their experiences in daily school life.”.

Manager E.M 8Q (April 30, 2019), on the other hand, exemplifies these moments by not citing collegiate instances: “In the meetings held by the sponsor, in the construction of the curriculum framework, the PME, study, and analysis of the BNCC.”.

The managers’ speeches demonstrate, once again, the need for disclosure of the actions developed by the collegiate instances. Besides, the manager E.M 9Q (April 30, 2019) reports the existence of “Participation in Seminars, Commissions, debates, managers’ meetings, studies, and analysis of educational policy actions.”.

Thusly, it is necessary to promote articulation among all the organs and school institutions that comprise the education system. Likewise, it is necessary to recognize the existence and importance of the work developed by the Council of School Meals and the Fundeb Council. Chart 5 presents the strengthening dimension of the spaces for participation in the system.

The quality indicators presented in Chart 5 point to significant processes of valorization and implementation of the principles of democratic management in public education. In this perspective, the collegiate organs and the Municipal Education Forum are important mechanisms for participation and sharing in the management of municipal education.

The Observatory of Municipal Education of Cachoeira do Sul (RS)

According to the mentioned, the Observatory of Municipal Education of Cachoeira do Sul (RS) (OBEMCS) was developed⁴ as a product of the research developed in the scope of the professional master's degree. The OBEMCS, built as a portal, is an important perspective of [re] articulation and strengthening of the Municipal Education System of Cachoeira do Sul (RS).

The portal, as a communication channel, makes visible the Cachoeira do Sul (RS) Municipal Education System, which was established 20 years ago by Municipal Law No. 3.177/2000 (^{Cachoeira do Sul, 2000}). The content available is aimed at both education professionals and the local community, as well as at researchers in the area of education, once it contains a lot of information about the Municipal Educational System, the organs (SMEd and CME), the municipal schools, and the private schools of early childhood education.

Certainly, the OBEMCS is one of the prospects of [re] articulation in the context of the system, as it will contribute significantly to strengthening municipal education. Its role in this systemic context is to promote dialogue with agencies and schools and also to enable the school community and society to understand the organization of the municipal education system. Internet and information and communication technologies can unite people all over the world. Therefore, inserting the Cachoeira do Sul (RS) Municipal Education System in the digital world is an innovative idea that will disseminate information about municipal education via the internet, in which there are no geographical boundaries. The complementary norms that are issued by the CME are available on the OBEMCS and strengthen the system, enabling unity, coherence, and strengthening democratic management. Moreover, the OBEMCS brings many possibilities of interaction, either through the forum or by directing it through links, the so-called “social networks”. As it is updated and accessed by society, it will bring important movements that will ensure participation, disclosure of the actions developed in municipal education, continuing education of counselors and education professionals, as well as the visibility of social control organs such as the Council of School Meal and the Fundeb Council. The OBEMCS is a real possibility of connection and constant [re] articulation with the people who comprise this whole movement, which is dynamic and systemic.

SYSTEMIC MOVEMENT: FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

This professional master's thesis excerpt discusses a Municipal Education System established 20 years ago. The systemic movement has been built and rebuilt as the spaces for participation are strengthened. This strengthening comes from the conceptions and actions developed in educational management.

In this bias, thinking of final considerations is also thinking of the beginning of a new path. It is necessary to highlight the need to continue this study, considering that each dimension and each discovery deserves other analyses, which will certainly enable other reflections and provide different meanings to the systemic movement.

We talk about systemic movement because it is unviable to say, by way of conclusions, that the management of municipal education is tight. At each moment, a new movement emerges that gives meaning to previously established knowledge, actions, and conceptions. It is in the nature of the Municipal Education System to articulate, but, as it has life and is moved by human action, it needs constant [re] articulation and strengthening.

Therefore, the Municipal Educational System is understood as a living, complex unit composed of elements that act synergistically with intentionality. In the context of public policies and educational management, some movements exercise a systemic and collaborative approach in the country, but they still have challenging weaknesses, such as the creation, by a legal act, of the SNE.

In the interviews conducted in the context of the management and normative organs of the Municipal Education System, it was perceived that the detachment from the state education system was an important achievement, given the slowness, especially the normative acts related to accreditation and authorization to operate schools. The research identified the existence of articulation between the Municipal Secretary of Education and the CME, although the quality indicators presented need to be improved and strengthened.

In the Pro-Council reference booklet (^{Brasil, 2004}, p. 22, our translation), it says that “[…] democratic management of education is, at the same time, transparency and impersonality, autonomy, and participation, leadership and collective work, representativeness, and competence.”. In this way, democratic management is a challenge, even though it is a constitutional principle, in which the CME is an important mechanism to guarantee participation and articulation in the conjuncture of the Municipal Education System.

Thus, concerning the existing articulation among the organs, the research made it possible to understand this process in the schools of the system. A school is a place where policies are implemented; therefore, both SMEd and CME need to maintain an articulation that guarantees the right to basic education.

With regard to the articulation between the CME and the schools, the need for greater approximation is evident, since 39.5% of school managers are partially aware of the collegiate organ's activities. Thus, it is worth reflecting on the context of the school community of the schools in the Municipal Education System of Cachoeira do Sul (RS) in relation to knowledge about the existence and the role of the CME within the education system. Moreover, it is questionable whether education professionals are even aware that the municipality has its education system.

Before these questions, the research reveals that publicity is a fragile constitutional principle at the heart of the CME's activities. It is reported that 47.7% of the school managers are not aware of the CME rules. The norms are essential for the autonomy of the municipality and enable articulation among the elements of the system, considering the purpose of the municipal education.

Hence, the strengthening of participation spaces in the system is latent and necessary. The collegiate organs are mechanisms for democratic management in public education. In the scope of educational management, the CME, the Council of School Meals, and the Fundeb Council are privileged spaces to include society and share education management.

Finally, to have a truly instituted system, all its elements (SMEd, CME, and schools) must walk side by side with the same purpose. Education is intentional. For this reason, the Cachoeira do Sul (RS) Municipal Teaching System was created to meet the goals of the municipal education. Then, it is necessary for a harmonious performance within the whole, in the unity. The coherence in the system will be guided by complementary norms to the national legislation, which will strengthen the local power of the federative entity. Moreover, the quality indicators and the Observatory of Municipal Education are perspectives of [re] articulation of the Municipal Education System of Cachoeira do Sul (RS), which have been implemented during the study, and continue in a constant exercise of promoting the interlocution, dialogue, collectivity, ethics, technical knowledge, autonomy, planning and transparency.