Outlines several major areas involved in issuing bonds to finance school buildings and other projects. Basic financing structures include general obligation bonds, lease revenue bonds, and tax anticipation notes. Explains competitive or negotiated sale process and the roles of financial advisor, underwriter, and bond counsel. (MLF)

Discusses the renovation process for preserving a community high school and the role of the architectural firm in gaining community support for the required bond issues. The architectural firm's design responses to school board requirements, and new student needs are described. The new school's floor plan is included. (GR)

Compares state funding for school infrastructure needs between 1993-94 and 1998-99. Found 164 percent increase in state infrastructure funding. Examines state funding mechanisms such as flat grants, equalized grants, categorical grants, and full-state funding. Fourteen states provide no state infrastructure funding; most rely instead on…

Examines the impact of variations in capital stock (physical assets) across school districts on student achievement. Uses level of bond indebtedness as a proxy for capital stock. Finds significant positive correlation between district per-student bonded indebtedness and student achievement measured by district mean scores on Michigan's Education…

For school systems, the Tax Reform Act of 1986 increased the relative cost of borrowing and put greater limits on investment opportunities. Offers tips to help school boards ask the right questions to take advantage of all possible opportunities. (MLF)

Aurora (Colorado) public schools followed 10 suggestions to win a recent bond election, including starting a year before the election, analyzing community relations, establishing a citizens' committee and an election task force, developing resource materials (including fact sheets), setting a timetable, seeking out "yes" votes, and…

Ignoring public relations can have devastating consequences, as one Indiana (LaPorte) district learned after a failed bond measure. School board members should cultivate local news media, ensure that schools send out regular newsletters, use free media coverage, save press conferences for significant events, move board meetings to different…

Describes how opinion by North Dakota's attorney general allows school district and city of Jamestown to collaborate in the issuance of bonds for school construction and renovation projects, three-quarters of the revenue for which is raised by a voter-approved city sales tax. (PKP)

Mail-in elections are prompting school officials to communicate their message to a wide variety of audiences. Many of the states using vote-by-mail have also made it much easier for citizens to cast absentee ballots. Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of voting by mail. (MLF)

The Virginia Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the issuance of tax exempt bonds to a religiously affiliated university violated both state and federal constitutions. Reviews the court decision, analyzes the constitutional issues, and contends that court actions intruded beyond the permissible boundaries of constitutional neutrality. (38…

The school business official will be involved in many referenda over the course of a career. School budgets, capital projects, equipment acquisitions, school bus purchases, and emergency construction projects are among the most common situations requiring a referendum. A time frame is needed, and most states have guidelines spelling out procedures…

The superintendent of Coventry (Rhode Island) Schools explains how he converted annual town meetings from uncivil, interminable budget-slashing sessions to expressions of community support for student-centered reforms and a construction/renovation bond issue. The board grasped assessment difficulties by taking state-mandated tests for…

A school renovation referendum's success hinged on a superintendent's visit to Joseph Graves, outspoken leader of an anti-tax group. Graves's book advises educators to marshall the facts and then talk with voters on committees, not at them. After exhaustive discussion, groups will make their own recommendations. (MLH)

The bonding authority and bond bank concepts have evolved as effective and efficient methods of assisting local education agencies in financing school facility construction and other capital improvement programs. This discussion defines bonding corporations and reviews their historical development, current status, and potential. (TE)

Maps are becoming essential strategic components for school business officials. The power of the personal computer is bringing map analysis programs down to the desktop level. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) will help business managers display student data, analyze school boundaries, route buses and maintenance vehicles, chart home values,…