Like all capitalist nations which have gone through a development process, the United States has relied partly on the rural-to-urban transfer of resources for the growth of an industrialized urban complex. The existence of a market-dominated rural sector and a noncompetitive (administered-price) urban sector has resulted in a major transfer of…

This report is designed to familiarize the reader with current changes in State systems of public school finance. It describes in summary form the major school finance changes made in 1973 by Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and Wisconsin. State legislative sessions in these States produced…

This paper provides background information relating to a school finance reform movement in Utah and describes the passage of a 1973 bill that provides a power equalizing system to redistribute excess revenue from local taxes in combination with State uniform school funds for a guaranteed program to all districts. The law should bring the level of…

This paper provides a historical review of equity in funding education in Alberta. It describes government attempts to address fiscal inequities and shows how the introduction of full spending in 1994 addressed many of the equity problems in Alberta. Full provincial funding of education has proved an overall success, but it faces the following…

A description and analysis of two failed local finance reform efforts in Pennsylvania between 1987 and 1989--a blue ribbon tax reform commission and a state constitutional amendment--are presented in this report. Constraints imposed during the reform design stage and two political "tar pits"--household/business proportion of local taxes,…

This paper uses data from a large statewide survey of Massachusetts residents to measure support for Proposition 2 1/2. Proposition 2 1/2 required high tax rate communities to reduce property tax levies 15 percent per year until the tax rate is reduced to the maximum allowable rate of 2 1/2 percent of full and fair market value. Specifically, this…

A fact sheet reported medical care costs incurred and funding sources received by county and local governments in Blaine and Hill Counties, Montana, to provide care for indigent Indians. Data obtained from county clerk and recorder offices and welfare departments showed that Blaine County spent about 1% of its operating revenue on indigent medical…

This report summarizes enrollment, costs, and funding information for North Idaho College (NIC) and the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) for 1972 and 1977, explores new options for the future, and presents academic and vocational division funding information and capital construction data. Academic student enrollment at NIC increased 35% between…

Proposition 13 (Jarvis-Gann Initiative) and its impact on higher education and students are analyzed in this report prepared by the National Student Association. The initiative, passed in California in 1978, fixed property taxes at one percent and allowed the level to rise by two percent annually. It is suggested, however, that the beneficiaries…

A study was conducted at Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC) to assess the college's economic impact on its service area in fiscal year 1979. Models, based on linear cash flow formulas, were used to determine impacts on local businesses, governments, and individuals. Students' expenditures and spending for construction were omitted from the…

Nine experts examine the nature and administration of the property tax, analyzing its effects on educational opportunity, land use, racial residential patterns, central city finance, neighborhood deterioration, and low income housing. The so-called circuit-breaker, a form of property tax relief that has rapidly come into widespread use, is viewed…

Describes the debate in Canada about using property taxes to fund education. Reviews alternatives to the property tax and discusses education funding in provinces across Canada. (LMI)

The funding and operation of Michigan's K-12 public school system was substantially changed in March 1994, with voter approval of a constitutional amendment and legislative adoption of 24 implementing state statutes. The comprehensive school funding proposal substantially reduced local property taxes; increased, and in some cases decreased, the…

The fourth report in a series on school finance describes how state school finance formulas are differentiated and the calculations used to measure local need, wealth, and effort. The following topics are addressed: (1) criteria for evaluating state school finance programs; (2) origins of state school aid formulas; (3) operation of equalization…

This paper focuses on the characteristics of Massachusetts voters who support Proposition 2 1/2, a stringent property tax limitation measure. Section I uses cross-tabular analysis to examine variations in support for the tax limitation measure across a number of demographic, household, and municipal characteristics, as well as attitudinal…