In 2017, the California Department of Education (CDE) announced the "Small School District Assistance Initiative," aimed at providing targeted assistance to small and rural school districts in the state. A prime focus of the initiative is assisting small and rural school districts with improving their facilities. To aid CDE's efforts,…

One distinction between the markets for corporate and municipal bonds involves institutional constraints that apply to some municipal bond issues. This research focuses on how public finance institutions, in particular explicit debt limits and referenda requirements, affect the borrowing cost of individual school district bond issues. The…

Using Levin and McEwan's (2001) "ingredients method," this study identified the major activities and associated costs of school levy campaigns in five districts. The ingredients were divided into one of five cost categories--human resources, facilities, fees, marketing, and supplies. As to overall costs of the campaigns, estimates ranged…

The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) Statewide Survey provides policymakers, the media, and the public with objective, advocacy-free information on the perceptions, opinions, and public policy preferences of California residents. Inaugurated in April 1998, this is the 125th PPIC Statewide Survey in a series that has generated a…

Examines New York voters' overwhelming approval of 1995 statewide district budgets, in light of state budget approval history, experts' analyses of factors influencing budget approval, and results of a survey of initial school district budget votes conducted annually over the past five years. Community involvement and modest tax increases were key…

Legislative actions pertaining to Washington public higher education during the last two years are described. The reports list the major resolutions passed, laws enacted, and legislative appropriations. State legislation dealt with: establishment of the Washington library network; retirement systems; bookkeeping transactions; travel expenses; bond…

A report statistically examines the problem of deferred maintenance in U.S. public schools, including the repair funding required to comply with federal mandates in the next 3 years; federal, state, and local contributions by state in 1991-92; the estimated percentage of schools needing repairs listed by state; and the changes in apportionment of…

The success of Proposition 13 in California gave impetus to similar tax limitation efforts in other states. Information included in this booklet is intended to help local, state, and federal education finance policy-makers wrestling with this issue. The first section summarizes efforts in each state to limit taxation and expenditure both by…