The COVID-19 pandemic is creating a crisis in state and local budgets, potentially leaving many schools to face budgetary declines even as they've had to transform the way they serve their students, particularly those who are most vulnerable. Bruce Baker, Mark Weber, and Drew Atchison offer four recommendations for mitigating the looming fiscal…

When policy advocates debate how best to ensure equity in public education funding, the topic of teacher pension reform rarely comes up. But, in fact, pensions represent a very large and fast-growing source of education spending, much of it distributed in ways that are, in a number of states, anything but equitable. When states subsidize teacher…

Reply to an article printed in the April issue. (IRT)

The people say they favor reduction in the property tax -- an inequitable and disastrously inflexible source of funds for schools in a period of inflation. Voters have recently turned down proposals that would have reduced reliance on the property tax in five States. Tells why. (Editor)

Outlines the trends in educational funding patterns needed to enact educational reform. Local property taxes, state revenues, and federal aid continue to provide the bulk of financing. Includes two tables. (MD)

As states modify their school finance systems in pursuit of equity, play a larger role in setting the level of teacher salaries, and link school finance and improvement, state control of schools is growing. However, state support of schools will decrease as property taxes increase. (DCS)

Suggests that Florida's finance formula to relieve interdistrict cost-of-living differences fails to equalize school district attractiveness. (DW)

Describes the California legislature's education-related response to Proposition 13 and analyzes the likely long-range effects of that response--including its effect on revenue stability, expenditure equality, and school governance. (Author/IRT)

Unless educators can develop a realignment or consensus of the beliefs of the various interest groups in the nation who must financially and spiritually support public education, the level of interest in providing adequate funds may not be sufficiently strong to meet the need. (Author)

Personal interview with Walter Heller, Professor of economics at the University of Minnesota.

A survey of vice presidents of major midwest public universities reveals concern about rising costs in higher education. Administrators favored financial aid partnerships between federal and state governments and business and industry. Although enrollments are steady and public support high, legislators tend to ignore higher education. (PB)

The clear and unavoidable conclusion is that achieving equality is less important than maintaining inequality. Class inequality by school district is highly valued in American education. Unequal taxes will continue to finance unequal schools. That is how we finance schools in America. (Author)