This study is intended to provide guidance to public school districts by identifying research based campaign strategies that have been proven to help with the successful passage of bond initiatives. In the United States, half of all public schools need at least one major facility repair and in Ohio, because tax initiatives in support of school…

This research briefly summarizes a series of Ohio Supreme Court litigation known as "DeRolph v. State" and then measures the equality of expenditures among Ohio school districts. "DeRolph v. State" was a high-profile school finance adequacy case. Nevertheless, the high court continuously expressed concern for the financial…

The purpose for this research was to determine the accuracy of the perceptions of school administrators and community leaders regarding education finance information. School administrators and community leaders in this research project included members of three groups: public school administrators, other public school leaders, and leaders in the…

Using Anderson's (1998) framework for authentic community engagement and Levin and McEwan's (2001) "ingredients method," this comparative case study analyzed contrasting approaches to levy campaigns undertaken by two suburban school districts and the associated costs of the campaigns. We found that District A ran a campaign that…

The relationship between components of the local school district report card, school district typology, and the outcome of public school tax levy requests were examined in this study. A correlation research design was used to measure the relationship between the independent variables (performance index, average yearly progress, value added,…

Drawing from state administrative data and surveys of superintendents in Ohio, this mixed methods study examined factors associated with voters' approval of local school levies. Utilizing binomial logistic regression, this study found that new levies and poverty rates were significantly associated with a decrease in the likelihood of passage.…

This document was written to inform middle-income whites about the financial problems schools are having and to elicit their reactions to suggested alternative ways by which schools could be financed. The document cites examples of school budget crises throughout the nation, presents a breakdown of present sources of school revenue, discusses how…

Analyzes data on the economic prospects of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin--including demographic and economic trends, trends in taxation systems, school revenue and expenditure trends, and future revenue prospects--and offers prognoses for individual states. Generally, short-range revenue prospects are bleak, and long-range…

Reviews the background of the property tax from ancient antecedents through the history of the United States, with particular reference to the rise of free public education. Issues discussed include major influences on the development of schools, tax limitations, the expansion of state and federal aid, and future projections. (MJL)

To help Ohio's educators, legislators, and others understand school finance reforms and equalization plans, this manual provides an overview of the state's public elementary and secondary school financing and explores issues and options in educational finance. An introductory chapter traces the legal history of school finance reform, explaining…

Cleveland voters soundly rejected a levy intended to bolster the school district's finances, a move widely interpreted as a referendum on the performance of its leader, Barbara Byrd-Bennett. Two-thirds of the voters who turned out for the Aug. 2 special election cast their ballots against Issue 3, which would have raised more than $45 million to…

An analysis of the relationship between district wealth and tax effort concludes that, while state aid is generally equalizing, the school funding structure is a dual system in which state aid is almost randomly spent in outlier districts. It is inferred that outliers translate guaranteed state aid into lower local taxes. (MJL)