Throughout the 1920s and early 1930s, the quality of education for school children in Texas was inconsistent and control of public schools resided with local communities. As a result, teachers' salaries across the state were inequitable among the races, as well as among different divisions within a single district. School district spending was…

The Texas Foundation School Program, popularly known as the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP), is a very complex approach to school finance. It provides basic assistance in three areas--minimum salaries, operating allowances, and transportation--and additional assistance in two others--vocational education and special education. The state pays…

The U.S. District Court ruling in Rodriguez vs San Antonio Independent School District, which struck down Texas' school finance system as inequitable and unconstitutional, provided the impetus for publishing this interim report. The report documents the growing cost of State-supported public school programs--the primary concern prior to the…

This article presents a case study of the school finance controversy in Texas with special emphasis on the results of two school finance bills enacted in successive sessions of the legislature. (Author/IRT)

Describes major provisions of a $1.4 billion school finance plan proposed by the Texas State Teachers Association, and compares this plan to the finance reform plans proposed by Texas Governor Briscoe and a Texas legislative committee. Available from: Salary and Merit, Suite 908, 1835 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006; $2.50 single copy. (JG)

According to the weighted pupil philosophy, the essence of equal educational opportunity is not in providing equal amounts of funds for the education of each child, but in providing the varying amounts of funds needed to insure a financial basis for giving each child an equal opportunity to obtain an education which meets his needs. This paper…

Published prior to the U.S. Supreme Court decision on the case, this report puts into perspective the questions and problems before the State of Texas in resolving the issue raised by Rodriguez vs San Antonio. The document reviews the key elements of the decision in the Rodriguez case and considers alternative approaches that comply with the…

Potential funding sources for criminal justice education programs are listed and information on supplemental source materials and a brief outline of grant writing considerations are included. Sections on general foundation grants, state restricted grants, and government grants are provided. Included under state restricted grants are Alabama,…

In describing how the present Texas school finance system actually works, this report considers the historical development of the finance system, provides a breakdown of how money is allocated among and between school districts, and examines the problem of who pays for the schools. The foundation program, other State aid, enrichment, and the…

The current system of school finance in Texas allows for gross inequities among districts. Statistics indicate that although Texas ranks slightly higher than the nation's average in state wealth, its support of schools, as measured by the percentage of personal income devoted to education, ranks about 35th. These figures suggest that the state…

This pamphlet is intended as a supplement to the booklet, "Recommendations for Legislative Consideration on Public Education in Texas," which was also published by the Texas Education Agency in November 1974. This pamphlet discusses a proposed state school finance plan developed by the State Board of Education and presents 12 specific…

This publication examines 16 of the 18 basic educational issues identified in an earlier publication entitled, "Basic Issues in Texas Public School Finance: An Analysis of the Plans." Five major school finance bills pending before the Texas Legislature in April 1975 are discussed in relationship to each of the 16 issues, with cost…

This paper describes funding formulas for the new Foundation School Program in Texas enacted under the Education Opportunity Act (H.B. 72), raises issues that have accompanied its first year of implementation, and provides preliminary data to compare prior and existing law. The state finance system, which previously distributed state aid according…

This report projects Texas school costs to 1982-83 under the present school finance system and suggests alternatives for modifying the projections. It also considers high and low cost projections, foundation costs by program, student and teacher populations, the financing of special programs, the cost of salary increases, and State costs of…