A major feature of the school finance landscape over the last two decades has been the reform of state school finance systems. Using the case of Maryland's Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools Act, this paper extends the current literature by developing a conceptual framework for residential bidding and sorting and using it to estimate housing…

Discusses the impact of citizen revolt against taxes and governmental spending on community colleges in relation to recent state legislative developments, focusing on the states in which community colleges rely heavily on local tax support. Considers effects on community college autonomy and growth. (MB)

A review of the shift from local to state financing and a description of various kinds of tax support structures. (Editor)

Describes New Jersey's budget difficulties, caused essentially by the reluctance of the state legislature to enact tax reforms. Severe cutbacks in state university funds were partially averted due to revenue increases, including a two percent increase in the corporation business tax and a boost in motor vehicle registration fees. (MLH)

This practicum report describes a step-by-step plan followed by the author and his employer, the Massachusetts Teachers' Association (MTA), to correct the fiscal disparities that existed in the Massachusetts school finance system and to provide property tax relief to Massachusetts taxpayers. The plan included assessing the existing Massachusetts…

THE FREE TUITION POLICY OF UNIVERSITIES AND STATE COLLEGES IN CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN QUESTIONED IN RECENT YEARS, AND BILLS HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED FOR A DEFERRED TUITION PROGRAM. THIS REPORT EVALUATES THE CONCEPT OF FREE TUITION IN TERMS OF FINANCIAL ACCESSIBILITY AND MOTIVATION, AND ECONOMIC BENEFIT FROM INCREASED INDIVIDUAL EARNING POWER.…

A synopsis is presented of Alabama higher education-related legislation that gained approval and a detailed analysis of the 1979-80 appropriations for higher education is provided. Both special and regular sessions of the 1979 Alabama Legislature are covered. During the regular session, from April 17, 1979 through July 30, 1979, only 12 of…

1976 saw a number of major fiscal changes occurring in New Jersey, all of which had an impact on educational funding. These include the imposition of a state income tax, a property tax rebate program, and a new system of funding public education that significantly increases the state's share of total education support. Based on a measure of the…

In response to the likelihood of some form of tax limitation in Illinois in the near future, this study discusses a tax limitation measure that was proposed to the 81st Illinois General Assembly, the Taxpayer's Rights Amendment (also known as the Totten Bill), and compares it with measures recently passed in other states, with emphasis on…

School finance reform, in the opinion of many of those concerned, implies a shift away from the local property tax as the main source of revenue for the public schools. The inequities associated with property tax administration and the uneven distribution of property tax wealth within any given state have led to increasing concern about the wisdom…

This report updates developments relating to public school finance legislation in Texas during a special summer legislative session in 1984. Discussion focuses on House Bill 72, which increased teachers salaries, distributed state aid more equitably, increased equalization aid, mandated new programs, and increased state taxes. (TE)

Instructional, administrative, and support services for adult evening education in Massachusetts community colleges are totally supported by tuition paid by enrolled students. On the other hand, day divisions of these colleges are supported by taxation and paid for by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Thus, an adult evening division student pays…

This project examines policies related to facilities at public institutions of higher education in Oklahoma in the context of a current legislative debate over a bond issue to fund facilities. The last bond issue for Oklahoma higher education was in 1968. Verification of a representative sample of 27 campus master plans validated an earlier…

This paper focuses on the identification and implementation of an adequate and appropriate funding mechanism or mechanisms for the funding of rural library services in Idaho. It is noted that the data for the report were taken primarily from the U.S. Bureau of the Census, with additional data from a 1990 survey of state library officials. The…