New York State's School Tax Relief Aid (STAR) heavily favors wealthier districts, partially reversing equalizing effects that state aid is designed to have. Normally state school aid helps bring less wealthy school districts closer to the standard of wealthier districts. It increases and makes up the lost revenue from taxpayers in the state as a…

Addition of fiscal response factors to the traditional simulation model of school finance demonstrates that the traditional model underestimates both the costs and impacts of state aid programs at the district level. The study reviews research on fiscal response--defined as school districts' taxing and spending behavior after receipt of state…

This report is designed to help the average school district voter, the new school board member, the PTA participant, and the civic organization member understand the operation of State aid distribution to the school districts of New York State. The publication provides a simplified version of the Educational Finance Task Force Proposal that was…

This article examines a method of determining school aid, potential sources of abrupt changes arising from revaluation, an illustrative case, and policy options. It finds many problems caused by jurisdictional fragmentation and time lags inherent in the equalization process. Tables include full-value determinations and school district property…

Discusses alternative sources for school funding to replace the traditional heavy reliance on local property taxes and addresses the problem of financial inequity between school districts. Proposes complete state financing of all school districts and an increased state income tax as possible alternatives to local property tax-based school funding.…

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…

To explore the issue of school finance reform, a series of community forums held across the state were carried out, the results of which are presented. The paper provides some major findings: a basic school finance system already exists, namely, property taxes supplemented by equalized state aid; the magnitude of the school property tax means…

This paper attempts to examine for the State of New York the merits of a district power equalizing formula when it is compared to full State funding of a uniform expenditure level. The author argues against full State funding because he believes that the net effect of many independent decisions that affect small groups of children is preferable to…

A proposal in the New York State Assembly in 2000 considered eliminating Tax Equalization Aid to school districts in order to fund the elimination of aid caps, called Transition Adjustment. In response to that proposal, this report examines the equalizing or disequalizing effects of three types of New York state aid to school…