Municipal overburden hypothesizes a causal relationship between high levels of nonschool municipal expenditure (due to high population density, aged housing stock, and other demographic factors) and low school spending levels. This article disproves the hypothesis by estimating demand for education expenditures using a median voter model. Includes…

This report describes and evaluates the North Dakota state/local fiscal system, especially as it relates to financing public education. It identifies and evaluates various fiscal policy options for raising additional tax revenue for support of schools and other public services in ways consistent with the basic characteristics of the North Dakota…

This document begins by presenting a general summary of Iowa's current school finance law, which dates back to steps taken in 1967 by the 62nd General Assembly, and by providing a current state aid chronology, organized by year, general assembly number, session, bill, and major features. Subsequent sections provide descriptions of the following:…

Limitations on governmental taxing and/or spending, exemplified by the "Proposition 13" initiative in California, have been instituted or proposed in a large number of states. As the movement spreads, state education agencies (SEAs) and, especially, chief state school officers have fundamental policy decisions to make. Areas where the…

The Minnesota school finance system is the method by which funds are provided for the operation of public elementary and secondary schools and public postsecondary vocational-technical institutes. This document comprises a reference guide for state legislators to the Minnesota school finance system. It begins with historical and legal background…