If higher education is a right, and distance education is the avenue for making higher education universally available, then who shall pay? This article asks (1) can state governments in the United States afford to fund this initiative and (2) can public higher education institutions in the U.S. fund this effort through capitalizing on…

An examination of school finance reform and collective bargaining concludes that the significant factors are greater state involvement in fiscal support, fiscal reform, and more centralized bargaining. (Author/DW)

Discusses State finance reform proposals including full State funding. (Author/JF)

Now that the Supreme Court in Rodriguez has declined to promote instant reform under the Federal Constitution, a central question for resolution is whether courts and legislatures should be urged only to patch up the present school finance system or to replace it with a new one. This analysis urges abandonment of local funding of public education.…

Outlines a plan for state funding that leaves local control on educational matters. (IRT)

Eight critical issues relevant to Kansas school finance are discussed in this report; issues include recent school finance litigation, assessment of the School District Equalization Act (SDEA), recommendations for improving the SDEA, validity of the power equalization models, measures of local district funding ability, mechanisms used by other…

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…

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…

Information is provided on the budgeting formula developed for funding Alaska's community colleges. After the history of formula budgeting is discussed, its purposes are highlighted (i.e., to provide equity of funding among the community colleges; to reduce uncertainty in and to simplify the budgeting process; and to provide for more local…

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…

The author examines sources of taxpayer discontent with property taxes and with public education. He proposes full state funding as a solution to education's financial dilemma. (Author/SJL)

This article reviews the current status of school finance in California in the aftermath of Proposition 13 and the Serrano v. Priest decision (which required determination of school funding on some basis other than district property wealth). Specific trends and directions regarding reform issues of the future are identified. (TE)

A review of the property tax system of financing education in Ontario provides historical background for the consideration of alternative approaches to reform. The problem of declining enrollment lends a sense of immediacy to the discussion. The present system of finance is found to be unsatisfactory because of inequities in property assessment…

This paper discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of three alternative philosophical and practical approaches for the equitable distribution of state aid to local school districts. These three approaches include the "equity through uniformity" approach, implemented through a Full State Assumption school finance model; the…