This document consists of a series of papers by different authors on the subject of school finance and equal educational opportunity. The papers discuss equalizing educational opportunity by means of a resource equalizer or guaranteed valuation grants-in-aid; the impact of changing school finance on metropolitan areas; and three types of…

This study documents the revenue and expenditure patterns for categories of school districts and for individual school districts. The fiscal impact of the current system, the nature and extent of fiscal disparities, and the factors that contribute to the disparities are examined. An attempt is made to distinguish between disparities among…

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)

After explaining briefly the history of educational funding in the United States, the authors discuss the current revenue sources and fiscal status of American public school facilities financing. Included are three tables with state-by-state information concerning bond referenda, public school bonded indebtedness, and debt loads. (JBM)

State and local tax performance in the United States and in the South and implications for the financing of public higher education are considered. It is suggested that despite apparent gains in state tax revenues, little overall growth in real terms has been experienced in the region and nation in recent years, nor can much be expected in the…

This report outlines the educational fiscal impacts of the present Massachusetts system of school finance and describes the fiscal characteristics and effects of alternative finance plans that are both equitable and elastic in nature. The first part of the report describes and evaluates the overall character of the Massachusetts State-local fiscal…

The finances of major school districts in New York State during 1980-81 and 1981-82 are summarized in this report. Trend data are provided on full value, expenses, State aid, tax rates, and local levy. These items are also shown on a per pupil basis for the entire State, New York City, and the balance of the State. Eleven statistical tables are…

This paper discusses five scenarios that have had an impact on school finance in the state of South Carolina during recent years. These scenarios include (1) the Education Finance Act of 1977 (EFA); (2) the Education Improvement Act of 1984 (EIA); (3) the issue of fiscal independence; (4) school fees; and (5) school bonds. The EFA was designed to…

The study reported in this document examined Connecticut's present system for financing public education and analyzed alternative systems. On the basis of study findings, some conclusions are presented in this report concerning (1) the total fiscal system within which Connecticut finances its schools, (2) fiscal disparities in the established…

School finance is basic to understanding and improving the condition of rural education. The purpose of this study was to: (1) determine the relationship between educational spending and component property wealth in the rural schools of Illinois; (2) examine potential trends in component property wealth in Illinois; and (3) identify and facilitate…

Intended for both researchers and practitioners, this analysis and bibliography cites approximately 100 publications on educational taxation, including general texts and reports, statistical reports, taxation guidelines, and alternative proposals for taxation. Topics covered in the analysis section include State and Federal aid, urban and suburban…

This publication presents comprehensive, comparative expenditure data by local school system for the whole United States for the 1969-70 year and compares four decades of progress in school finance. The analysis in the document permits a view of State and national progress toward reducing or eliminating financial inequality and of the magnitude of…

Trends in Maryland's support of higher education during fiscal years 1976 to 1985 are reported, along with comparisons to other states. Attention is also directed to shifts in the distribution of state appropriations among the various segments of higher education and key trends in expenditure patterns at the four-year public institutions. It is…

The discrepancy between a city's financial obligations and its fiscal capacity to meet those obligations with reasonable effort is referred to in this paper as "municipal overburden." The literature concerning the causes and the impact of municipal overburden on school support for essential school services is analyzed. Attempted…

This report examines factors that contribute to the differences in local education funding, per pupil revenue, and local resident ability to support present and future educational services in West Virginia. Based on a variety of data generated during 1989-92, the study indicates: (1) the differences in support for local education are attributed to…