This paper presents results of a study designed to determine whether each university in Florida's State University System (SUS) was being treated fairly by the funding methodologies used by the Legislature and the Board of Regents (BOR). The paper provides an examination of the generational formulas used by the Legislature and the BOR that result…

This report presents results of a study investigating the process used by the Board of Regents (BOR) for developing its legislative budget request, as well as the process used by the BOR for allocating appropriations among the universities. The report also includes an assessment of the extent to which funds are allocated on an equitable basis for…

After a brief history of the states' role in financing public schools since 1970, their current fiscal status and budgetary actions are reviewed. The impact of tax-cutting initiatives on California and Massachusetts schools and districts' solutions are considered. Guiding principles for allocating reduced funds are proposed. (MJL)

This discussion of educational finance highlights the six-fold increase in the cost of education since 1959; changes in the state, local, and federal proportions of school funding; the importance of education in the total economy; and the effect of changing public policy on revenues for education. (SK)

Tables compiled at Illinois State University showing state appropriations for higher education, 1988-1989, are presented, including a table showing how the states rank. (MLW)

In states that depend on property taxes for school revenues, fair administration of the property tax is essential to ensure equitable state aid to all districts. Questions relevant to implementing a strategy for enhancing public support of the property tax as a source of local school revenue are answered in this report. The questions deal with the…

This document discusses major issues in urban school finance. It has been developed around four major sections. First, it reviews the role of the states in urban school finance, using published materials and documents from the Education Commission of the States. Second, it discusses recent developments in urban school finance litigation dealing…

Tight state budgets and regional economic difficulties have prompted a sharp drop in the rate that state appropriations for higher education have increased over the past two years. New England fares well while farm and oil states suffer. (MLW)

Describes the new equal education legislation in Massachusetts and how it will serve the goals of equity and excellence. Provisions include grants to serve the educationally disadvantaged, competency exams for students and teachers, and teacher incentive programs. Special assistance is directed toward communities with high drop-out rate and…

This report argues, using Arizona as an illustration, for a market-based school funding paradigm characterized by per-pupil allocations that follow each student to the school of their choice. The report explains what is wrong with the current system, compares the market-based approach to others that have been proposed, and demonstrates how…

This paper is an indepth survey of American educational finance from its origins to the present and with projections for the future. It discusses the influence of and impact on school finance of some of the following: demographic patterns, changes in the American economy, Sputnik and civil rights events, federal intervention, the courts, local…

This publication is the culmination of efforts begun three years ago. All of the papers address implications for community colleges. Complementing these pieces is a discussion guide depicting the ways that state higher education policy may either support or thwart the American promise of opportunity and equity. These papers are provided as…

Funding education with property taxes has always been controversial. This paper examines taxation and the sources of revenue for education. The historical context in which tax and revenue sources have supported education in the United States is described. Also discussed are state tax-policy goals and education funding, and the embattled role of…

In 1995, Arkansas enacted two new bills that changed the way in which schools were financed. Act 916 required all school districts to levy a 25-mill tax based on an assessment ratio of 20 percent of use value on all property for maintenance and operation. The act also revised biennial appropriations for the State Department of Education,…

A national survey revealed that 13 states have created legislation to assist financially distressed schools. Focusing on two states, Indiana and Pennsylvania, the report outlines different methods they have developed to deal with financially distressed schools. In Pennsylvania a distressed school district is taken over by the state, whereas in…