ERIC Number: ED352742
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1992-Feb
Pages: 14
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: ISBN-1-55516-275-4
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Lessons in School Funding.
Whitney, Terry; Hightower, Amy
State Legislative Report, v17 n3 Feb 1992
State litigation involving unconstitutional school financing systems are described in this document, which focuses on efforts in Texas to reform the financing of public education. Since its school finance system was declared unconstitutional in 1987, two subsequent proposals have been struck down by the Texas Supreme Court for the following reasons: (1) the proposals relied too heavily on local property taxes; and (2) a county education district plan essentially created a statewide property tax, which was against Texas law. The efforts of state lawmakers in Kentucky and New Jersey are also described. A conclusion is that states' school financing conflicts are far from over. In the majority of school finance litigation cases, the common thread is the focus on equitable resources for all schools. Additionally, courts have been asked to determine the basis of an adequate system of financing public education. Two maps that depict the legal status of states' education finance systems are included. (Contains 16 references.) (LMI)
Descriptors: Constitutional Law, Court Litigation, Educational Equity (Finance), Educational Finance, Elementary Secondary Education, Finance Reform, Property Taxes, Public Education, State Courts, State Legislation, Tax Effort
National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL), 1560 Broadway, Suite 700, Denver, CO 80202.
Publication Type: Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials; Collected Works - Serials
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: National Conference of State Legislatures, Denver, CO.
Identifiers - Location: Kentucky; New Jersey; Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A