This article discusses the library referenda in 2004. Some of the trends that emerged included: dueling libraries in Rhode Island, big wins for big cities, erosion of voter support for libraries in the Illinois heartland matched with the emergence of library support in the Southwest and the re-upping of big California taxes.

Investigates variations in state funding programs for school building needs. Includes table of 2001-02 primary state aid programs for school facilities. Also describes use of local voter-approved bond issues to fund local school construction. Includes table of 2001-02 state bond programs, debt limits, and state aid for debt. Discusses emerging…

Describes the bond-rating process; suggests several management practices school districts can adopt to improve their bond ratings: Adopt a fund balance, initiate debt-affordability and debt-amortization policies, institute pay-as-you-go funding to reduce dependency on debt, develop a multiyear plan, and communicate periodically with credit-rating…

Discusses 13 mistakes school leaders make in planning and executing campaigns for the passage of school bond and levy referenda. Suggests corrective action for each mistake. (PKP)

Examines the effects of including technology funding in Oklahoma school district bond issues on their voting percentages and pass/fail rates during fiscal years 1995-96 through 1999-2000. Finds that percent of technology funding included in bond issue dollar amount was significantly related to positive voting percentages and predictive of issue…

A profile of R. Kirk Hamilton, superintendent of South-Western City Schools in Columbus, Ohio, is presented. Hamilton runs the Ohio school district featuring a full gamut of geography--from expansive cow pastures to high-density, urban housing complexes--yet he carries the same message to all corners that's grounded on a simple belief: All…

Presents an interview with Kit Dunn, a specialist in school district information services, about the importance of communication with the community, especially concerning school bond referenda. (EV)

Models three-stage bond-rating process: whether to have a bond rated, whether to insure the bond, and estimation of the actual bond rating; tests multistage model empirically using sample of 148 bond issues representing 10 different states; finds that the par value (size) of the bond issue is decisive factor in decision to have a bond rated or…

Bond ratings are an assessment by an independent rating agency of the credit worthiness of a bond issuer, such as a school district, on repayment of a particular bond issue. Describes the rating procedures Standard and Poor's Municipal Finance Department uses to assign bond ratings. (MLF)

It is hard to win passage of a school construction bond--whether through a citizen referendum or the vote of a town council or general town meeting. Property owners' resistance to tax increases remains strong. Sizable segments of any local community--senior citizens, childless adults, parents who send their children to private school, and…

Superintendent of Antigo Unified School District, Antigo, Wisconsin, explains the use of school-level and community-level data to build support for bond and budget referenda. Describes the benefits of data-driven decision-making. (PKP)

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.…

Issuing municipal bonds requires many decisions and involves a number of individuals. Traces basic and essential steps to ensure a successful endeavor. (MLF)

Thanks to previous bond issues, the Walled Lake (Michigan) Schools had a well-defined technology plan featuring staff development, student performance benchmarks, and rooms of outdated computers. After three bond issues failed, the district adopted leasing as an alternative. Their present three-year contract supplies 154 used computers and a…

Examines how an Illinois school district used teamwork and planning to acquire state funding for construction and renovation of two high schools. Planning efforts included conducting a community-based strategic planning, researching the funding program, working closely with state organizations for acquiring grant funds, educating the community,…