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)

Discussion of problems associated with using bond funding for library acquisitions focuses on experiences at Louisiana State University. Topics addressed include books as collateral; partial payment problems; collateral-based restrictions; taxes; invoicing; delayed payment; and recommendations for how to prepare for bond funding of library…

Offers suggestions for superintendents to follow to involve community leaders, enlist professional assistance, keep the public informed, and work through established school-based groups in seeking successful passage of a bond issue. (Author/WD)

key to facilities planning and successful bond issues is involving public. Taxpayers are unlikely to support superintendent's plan but will certainly vote for their own plan. Success means ensuring fiscally uncluttered pathway, retaining an architect, and working with demographer. Appointing broad-based community task force of about 30 members,…

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…

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 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…

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)

An executive of Moody's Investors Service explains what past experience has taught the company about municipal analysis, how a bond issue is assigned a credit rating, and what issuers can do to obtain the best rating. (MLF)

A survey of absentee voting in the Highline (Washington) School District revealed that mailed-in ballots have no better than--and often less than--a 50-50 chance of favoring school finance issues. School officials should reconsider encouraging the growth of voting by mail. (IW)

The ballot, as a device to communicate to the government by citizens, is perceived to be much more effective in some settings--the direct question in a local election--and less effective in others--the major questions and primary offices in a national election. Such political facts of life are part of the resurging interest in the referendum as a…

Using the strategy of "divide and conquer" can lead to victory at the polls. The ballot can include two freestanding questions, either or both of which can pass or fail independently, or it can be designed in such a way that approval of question two is contingent on question one passing. (MLF)

Assertions of crises in public education commonly appear as descriptions of unease, suggestive of proposed remedies. In fact, many remedies actually existed first; their advocates sought particular circumstances they could transform into an alleged crisis. Examples include the "reading wars," bond elections for new buildings, and state standards…

Additional advice is provided, in conjunction with the foregoing article, on coping with legal constraints to school publications urging voter support for an upcoming bond issue. (TE)

Budget shortfalls and fund deficits in many school districts are expected to continue in the 1990s. School boards and administrators must develop plans to manage and maintain the financial health of the school system. One important aspect of this planning is management of debt. (58 references) (MLF)