Passing property tax issues is an increasing challenge for many school districts. This article examines 21 school levy strategies identified through a literature review associated with successful school levy campaigns. These strategies were then used as a framework to evaluate one district's attempts to pass a school bond levy. Whereas the study…

A small rural Missouri school district successfully campaigned for an 81-cent tax increase: 38 cents for a levy to operate schools, and a 43-cent bond issue that would allocate money to build new facilities. Passage of the referendum required at least a year of hard work and planning, positive advertisements, and a lot of community involvement.…

Stimulating economic activity by offering tax abatements can deprive schools of tax revenues for years while enrollment is increasing. Taking action forestalled a substantial loss of revenue for the Twinsburg City Schools in Ohio. Offers advice to boards facing a similar circumstance and suggests ways school boards can be involved in enterprise…

Municipal overburden hypothesizes a causal relationship between high levels of nonschool municipal expenditure (due to high population density, aged housing stock, and other demographic factors) and low school spending levels. This article disproves the hypothesis by estimating demand for education expenditures using a median voter model. Includes…

The administration's proposal to end state and local tax deductions could cost public schools $24 billion in funding cuts and has far reaching ramifications for public education. Projections of state-by-state losses are presented as well as projections of tax liability increases to individuals and businesses. (MD)

By developing broad community input and support, a Louisiana district (Monroe City Schools) passed a $59 million property tax package. Offers 10 strategies for winning campaigns. (MLF)

An initiative petition passed in 1982 for a 1-cent sales tax accounted for between 13 and 15 percent of the total public school budget in Missouri as of the 1991-92 school year. Outlines the steps necessary to gather the necessary signatures from registered voters and to get the measure approved. (MLF)

Research into voters' reasons for supporting or opposing Proposition 2 1/2, Massachusetts's 1980 property tax limitation measure, revealed that educational issues were of moderate importance and that voters were more interested in restructuring educational finance and governance than in reducing school budgets. Still the passage of the measure…

School districts are caught in a financial squeeze with reduced federal funding, recessionary reductions at the state level, and political pressures against raising taxes. School districts are searching for alternative sources of funds including school impact fees and business partnerships. One method, tax abatement, often costs districts because…

Describes a study of how Oregon's 1979 Property Tax Relief Plan affected school district decisions about expenditures and tax levy requests, and discusses implications of the findings. (PGD)

To convince voters to approve a school tax increase, school board members need to do the following: (1) show a fiscally tight and well-organized school district; (2) show the public that you care; (3) show a sense of personal and board conviction; (4) explain how decisions have been reached; and (5) educate the public about school issues. (MLF)

The long-term pattern of state assumption of public elementary and secondary education funding continued during the past decade. This trend, as shown in numerous tables, has been neither regular nor consistent among states and regions in recent years. The property tax is still the mainstay of local school districts. Includes 18 references. (MLH)

High-growth school districts can learn from Park City, Utah, about the adoption of school facility impact fees. These fees are levied against new residential units to offset the additional costs to a school district. A sidebar summarizes variation in state laws pertaining to impact fees and cites some legal challenges to their imposition. (MLF)

After five years of opposition, voters in the Jefferson County, Colorado, School District approved a $325 million bargain. Describes how the district made major management decisions, rebuilt credibility among voters, and ran the campaign. Cites a budget-tracking tool, School Micro-Financial Allocation Study, that helps school districts track how…

High-growth school districts can learn from Park City, Utah, about the adoption of school facility impact fees. These fees are levied against new residential units to offset the additional costs to a school district. A sidebar summarizes variation in state laws pertaining to impact fees and cites some legal challenges to their imposition. (MLF)