Superintendents and other school administrators live with tensions in political economy. The voting public believes school funding is fixed when the economy expands and new state programs are introduced. Administrators are publicly criticized when, strained for resources, their schools cannot perform within the "do more with less" paradigm. This…

The California Supreme Court catalyzed school finance litigation with its rulings in the "Serrano v. Priest" cases. The court's required that wealth-related spending differences essentially be eliminated, the legislation required to implement that decision, and the passage of Proposition 13's property tax limitation has resulted in…

Examines the recent spate of judicial decisions on school finance requiring that the quality of public education not be a function of a school district's wealth, and explores possible alternative sources of funding such as increasing State sales or income taxes or adopting a statewide property tax. (Author/SF)

This paper discusses an approach to solving the school financing problem that treats separately the twin concerns of taxational and educational equity. Part 1 reviews the decision of the California supreme court in Serrano 1 as it relates to these concerns and the manner in which the state district court on remand attempted to utilize the concept…

This paper reports on the protracted history of the Arkansas school-finance case, the longest-running school-finance lawsuit in the United States. It details in chronological sequence the lawsuit filed in 1992 by the Lakeview School District, a very small all African-American school district alleging that the state school-finance plan was…

Argues why U.S. Judge Russell Clark, who is presiding over the Kansas City desegregation case "Jenkins v. Missouri," is an example of an imperial judiciary at its worst. The article explains how the cost of the judge's desegregation plan has adversely affected Missouri's budget for 18 years, has caused undue hardships on its population,…

Issues in public school finance are discussed in this research monograph, with an emphasis on Texas. Chapter 1 provides a national historical overview, examining the changing definition of equality. The second chapter examines equity challenges in the courts, specifically, two major types of constitutional issues: (1) equal protection clauses of…

The 13 Chapters in this book address the important issue of how schools and school districts allocate their resources. The book summarizes the emerging research in educational resource allocations (tax dollars) at the district, school, and classroom levels. Following the preface by Lawrence O. Picus, the chapters include: (1) "Why Do We Need to…

This report is an update of the 1984 study "Indiana's Public Schools: An Analysis of the Past and Recommendations for the Future," which examined the Indiana school finance formula used to fund public education in the state. A fresh look is taken as a result of formula changes, and the effect of these changes on expenditures for public…

In this paper, the political and economic forces influencing attempts to reduce the inequalities in education expenditures are examined. Current programs for financing public education (local, State, and Federal) are compared. In general, State-local tax systems are found to be regressive and improvements are suggested. Inequitability of State aid…

Testimony recorded in these hearings was presented by: Dr. Mark Shedd, Superintendent of Schools, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Dr. Robert Blanchard, Superintendent of Schools, Portland Public Schools, Portland Oregon; Joel Berke, Director, Educational Finance and Governance Program, Policy Institute of the Syracuse University Research Corp.; James…

This 756-entry bibliography was prompted by the Serrano decision of the California Supreme Court in August 1971. The items are drawn from the literature on public administration, law, education, and State and local government since 1965. Items are organized under "Inequality of Educational Opportunity,""Financing of Local Public…

Cases related to school finance, in which decisions were handed down in 1982, are reviewed in this chapter. It is observed that the constitutionality of existing state school finance programs was upheld in New York, Colorado, and Georgia, and that litigation was prevalent in the areas of taxation for schools and uses of school revenue. Issues…

One Supreme Court decision, seven federal appellate decisions, and two district court decisions were published in the area of school finance in 1990. The Supreme Court reviewed a case concerning allegations of school district segregation, along with an ensuing tax assessment issue. Federal appellate courts handed down decisions involving alleged…

In 1989, federal appellate courts ruled on issues regarding a state's role in financing a court-ordered desegregation plan, and the use of federal funds for vocational rehabilitation and Title I programs. State supreme courts decided on the constitutionality of four states' school financing schemes and, in a fifth state, on distribution of federal…