This Digest discusses efforts to achieve financial equity in education. It describes the extent of financial disparity and how, after 3 decades of litigation, such disparities among districts and among states remain high. In New Jersey alone, the per-pupil expenditures ranged from $5,900 to $11,950. Even with such inequities, some promising…

This digest in Spanish discusses efforts to achieve financial equity in education. It describes the extent of financial disparity and how, after 3 decades of litigation, such disparities among districts and among states remain high. In New Jersey alone, the per-pupil expenditures ranged from $5,900 to $11,950. Even with such inequities, some…

The state role in educational funding as a major educational policy issue is discussed in this digest. The school finance system debate has been stimulated by property tax issues, changing demographic and economic conditions, emphasis on qualitative improvement, and school restructuring. Implications for local administrators include increased…

This digest, which is based primarily on the 1989 ERIC/CRESS monograph entitled "Achievement of Equity in Capital Outlay Financing: A Policy Analysis for the States," by D. Thompson G. Stewart, D. Honeyman, and R. Wood, addresses possible solutions to the emerging problem of capital outlay financing, with special attention to facilities…

State policies greatly affect the decisions rural districts make about building or renovating school facilities. State, federal, and local mechanisms for funding school facilities are briefly described. Some states require a specific percentage of growth or decline in student population or a minimum number of students as a prerequisite for…

The cost of providing an educational program is higher for rural, small schools and districts than for others. Nevertheless, recent studies suggest that small schools and districts may be a more efficient investment than large schools because the "learning value per unit of expenditure" seems to be greater there. This new idea expands…

This digest of a full-length report provides a review of state level budgeting for higher education in terms of the underlying interplay of human and external forces coupled with factors that are present in the budgeting process itself. The environmental context includes historical, political, economic, and demographic factors. These factors…

Despite 1983 Elementary and Secondary Education ACT (ESEA) Title I federal funding of over $255 million for more than 3,000 projects for some 600,000 migrant children and youth, there is still need for alternate funding sources to overcome spiraling inflation and increasing program costs and numbers of eligible children. Other federal, state,…

Based on a recent nationwide survey of rural administrators, this digest reports on the financial problems of rural school districts and some possible strategies for improvement. Rural administrators reported the following financial management problems: (1) cash flow problems due to late receipt of state aid or taxes; (2) expenditures that are…

As college costs continue to soar, families across America are confronting a financial burden they find difficult if not impossible to manage alone. Existing programs like student loans are unable to address a problem of this scope. The search for a method to encourage savings for college without drawing on limited public resources has led to a…

The system of school finance equity in Texas is described as it existed before the court case Edgewood Independent School District (ISD) v. Kirby, and the overhaul mandated by legal rulings in the evolving Edgewood case is reviewed. In Texas, as elsewhere, the system of school finance has historically been based on the local property taxes…

since the economic difficulties of the 1980s and 1990s, community colleges have had to reconcile limited resources with open door admissions policies and a broad institutional mission. College budgets have not generally increased sufficiently to compensate for rising costs, with state-level financial support for higher education falling by 9.5% to…

This brief report summarizes a longer document with the same title. It reviews the need to better manage higher education expenses in light of budget cuts and reductions in appropriations and other public services. It is noted that tuition, although increasing, has been increasing at a slower rate since 1981. Also, faculty salaries have not…

This ERIC digest synthesizes research characterizing the economic climate in which rural schools operate and reports on the traditional strategies used to create greater economic support for rural school districts. The benefits of steady urban economic growth have not been shared, generally, by rural areas; this has led to inadequate financial…

Small schools offer many advantages and their numbers are increasing, but current funding practices often do not meet their needs. This digest suggests strategies that can help small public schools, particularly small rural schools, redress funding inequalities and get the resources they need. Three basic strategies for improving resources at…