Background/Context: Several studies have investigated state political and economic factors that explain differences in levels of state appropriations for colleges and universities. Few studies have considered how stakeholder beliefs or taken-forgranted assumptions about various institutions may impact budgeting decisions for specific campuses. A…

The attitudes and opinions of Massachusetts legislators, municipal leaders, and educators regarding school finance reform reveal that school finance reform should aim for equal educational opportunity. Future school aid reform should be a total program to provide aid to cities and towns, gradually raising education's share to 50 percent state aid…

The educational funding system in Massachusetts has become less equitable than before, since the passage of Proposition Two and a Half. A decision-making process driven by zero-sum economics, rather than educational needs, is particularly harmful to urban youth; failure to educate every young American threatens the nation's social and economic…