Difficulty passing referenda to authorize school bonds necessary for important school capital purposes prompted New Jersey to enact legislation to authorize a school district to acquire a site and school building by lease purchase agreement. Advantages, disadvantages, and voter attitude are discussed. (MLF)

The House-approved version of the tax bill H.R. 3838 will increase borrowing costs to local and state governments. Educational costs will either increase or educational services will decrease. The House legislation also would treat all nontuition student aid as income and place a cap on pension funds. (MLF)

Offers guidelines to aid school districts in planning a sale of school construction bonds so as to minimize interest costs. (JG)

This comparative study involving four St. Paul-Minneapolis, Minnesota, metropolitan public school districts investigates strategies, non-strategic factors, and critical incidents thought to affect the outcome of school bond referenda. Results address what election strategies are most commonly used to affect the outcome of school bond referenda and…

This report examines the fate of general obligation (G.O.) bond measures in California from 1986 to 1999. For the entire 13-year period, the passage rate for local G.O. bonds averaged 54 percent. However, this average masks some dramatic variations depending on when the election was held, the district holding the election, and the area of…

Discusses the California Supreme Court decision in Serrano v. Priest relating to the financing of local school systems through general property tax. (RJ)

Presents case studies of school district's efforts to get a school construction bond passed. It reveals multiple-year work where the districts put politics to work and succeeded in securing funding for their students' futures. Fifteen organizational steps for successful bond passage are highlighted. (GR)

A poll of 1,933 voters in two counties that passed school bonds and two that did not examines voter perceptions toward school bonds. The factors linked to passage were that the number of students was growing, that most students would benefit, and that the dollar amount of the bond issue was reasonable. (SLD)

Voters in Starkville, Mississippi, passed an $9.8 million bond issue last year despite opposition by the local chapter of the NAACP. The election returns reflect that the district already was committed to a policy of finding and hiring qualified black teachers and administrators and district leaders were willing to commit themselves to the…

Explains how one North Carolina school district was able to pass high-dollar bond issues for school construction. Discusses the planning and bidding processes, and the district's philosophy towards incorporating innovative changes in design and equipment. (GR)

Following two-failed school bond issues in 1995 and 1998, one mid-sized rural school district organized an effort that led to two successful school bond elections in 2001 and 2003. The school district's strategic plan mirrored many of the recommendations for successful bond referendums published in School Bond Success: A Strategy for Building…

While new school construction bond elections for rural school districts can be difficult to pass, success is possible. This paper presents one superintendent's effective campaign to build a $4.2 million elementary school within a rural community. It reveals the need to continually reinforce the message of committing to educational quality combined…

Testimonies are presented on two bills to amend the revenue bond section of the Home Rule Act to permit the District of Columbia to sell revenue bonds to borrow money to finance student loans. The issue regarding H.R. 6010 and H.R. 6276 is whether the District should be allowed to make its own determination regarding the advisability of…

A new means of funding school operations known as advanced school funding allows Oklahoma schools financing during the temporary cash shortfalls. The program consists of the Oklahoma Development Authority issuing revenue bonds purchased by E. F. Hutton and Company, Inc., which then sells the tax free bonds to investors throughout the country. A…