This article describes the unfavorable conditions and the innovative tactics used in a well-planned, successful referendum campaign for one school district's capital improvement bond issue. (MJL)

Results of a survey of 499 rural Illinois residents show that retirees are as supportive of local public education as are nonretirees. In addition, analysis of 788 local education bond referenda in Illinois indicates that a higher than average percentage of aged in a community does not adversely affect passage of a referendum. (KS)

Faced with shrinking state and local tax support and an increased demand for K-12 educational reform, school leaders must use creative means to find money to improve and deliver instruction and services to their schools. This handbook describes innovative strategies that school leaders have used to find scarce dollars for purchasing educational…