This article examines how legal arguments advocating school finance reform do not provide an adequate basis for dealing with practical problems of implementing such policies. Guidelines for reform of fiscal policy are suggested. (DE)

Principles for public school finance are outlined with respect to an equitable allocation of educational resources by the state. The argument is advanced that equal dollars per pupil is a practical, reasonable, acceptable and attainable initial basis for school financing. Objections to the equal dollars scheme are considered, leading to an…

An increase or decrease in student enrollments has a direct effect on the operating funds provided by the state to community colleges in Florida. For the last 3 years, St. Petersburg Junior College (SPJC) was assigned and funded for a student full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment of 8,527, including 4,976 Advanced and Professional (associate in…

A study was conducted of state funding methods, practices and trends in the states covered by the Southern Regional Education Board. The use of funding formulas was found to be about as prevalent as in the late 1970s. A detailed profile is presented for each of the 15 states studied. The profiles provide such information as: state agency name;…

In the Serrano decisions, the courts found California's method of financing schools to be unconstitutional and gave the state until September 1, 1980 to reduce wealth-based expenditure differences to substantially less than $100 per pupil. The courts found three features of the state's system to be particularly onerous--the failure of the state to…

The Serrano decision has caused policy makers in California to search for departures from the current system of public school finance. Citizen and legislative evaluation of alternative finance systems is being confused by the employment of diverse interpretations of Serrano. Although the Court's decision may appear to indicate clear-cut methods of…

This paper critically examines some of the ways in which schools are currently financed and argues for State assumption of educational costs as a viable alternative. The document begins with a description of current school district revenue sources and discusses the official division of responsibility for school finance between the State and local…

Assuming that full State funding proposals will become more prevalent as a result of recent court decisions affecting State educational financing systems, the author examines the problems and opportunities presented by full State funding and suggests a programmatic approach to the allocation of State funds to local school districts. He suggests…

The recent passage of legislation providing expanded financial support to elementary and secondary schools in California and its implications for educational improvement are discussed in this article. (JD)

To help educators understand the Hawaiian system of school finance, this article reviews previous studies, describes the state government's role in the budgetary process, and discusses statewide funding impacts in comparison with other urban school districts and states having similar per capita income and student achievement ratings. Includes two…

This January 2000 audit report concerns the status of California community college districts' compliance with Section 84752 of the California Education Code, which prohibits districts from receiving full-time equivalent student (FTES) funding for activities that are fully funded through another source. The state apportions funds to districts based…

Most states fund their community colleges on a flat grant per pupil basis, though some allocate on an overall appropriation. Variations in district wealth are generally equalized by either full state support or state equalization of local tax-paying ability. Four models of state support are currently in operation: (1) negotiation of state support…

Public schools and their problems are discussed in this paper. It is argued that public schools suffer from the effects of a bureaucracy based on a paradigm inappropriate for the task entrusted to them. Further, the monopolistic nature of the educational bureaucracy has insulated it from virtually all relevant sources of feedback and pressures for…

A survey of state financial controls over community, junior, and technical colleges was undertaken utilizing, as the base, Frederick Volkwein's scale of flexibility and control. A mailed survey (about 29 measures of state regulation) with followup telephone interviews was presented to all community college state agency directors (N=62).…

This paper examines the current system of capital finance for education in New Jersey in light of existing disparities in educational facilities throughout the state and the need to equalize educational quality in response to the New Jersey Supreme Court's mandate in Robinson v. Cahill. Separate sections of the report describe and critique New…