This report is designed to familiarize the reader with current changes in State systems of public school finance. It describes in summary form the major school finance changes made in 1973 by Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and Wisconsin. State legislative sessions in these States produced…

This booklet contains a brief analysis of four "real life" alternatives (Minnesota, Michigan, Kansas, and New York) for State systems of funding schools, along with a concise conceptual framework for approaching the study of school finance reform. Because the booklet was prepared as a practical guide for State legislators, the authors avoid highly…

The format of this monograph follows essentially the arrangement of the day-long conference on Serrano vs. Priest: a major paper presentation, followed by a panel of three respondents, and subsequent general discussion involving the audience and conference participants. The editors have attempted to provide both the formal and the extemporaneous…

This paper discusses alternative methods for financing education including sales and compensating taxes, mineral leasing, and land income. The author discusses the problem of local control under a full State funding system. He warns that merely allocating money to school districts on an equal basis will fail to accomplish equal education unless…

Many states have found that financing public schools through local property taxes is unlawful under their state constitutions; as a result, they must consider using state tax revenue as the primary source of local school-district funding. The recent California experience provides a sample of political economic behaviors used to respond to the…

In its first year (1986-87), a $37.4 million Connecticut aid program has markedly reduced disparities in teacher salaries and expenditures per pupil. This paper reviews the use of school aid increases in Connecticut, describes the simulation models used, explains the models' role in targeting state aid, and outlines the legislation and its…

The constitutionally erected wall of separation between church and state is the only viable foundation for maintaining religious freedom and for preserving our public school system. The patchwork of recent court decisions and State and Federal legislation concerning aid to parochial schools threatens to erode that wall. Justifications for such aid…

This document compiles several studies on educational finance, including "Federal Aid to Education: Who Benefits?""The Financial Aspects of Equality of Educational Opportunity," and "Legislator's Guide for School Finance." Also included are two briefs filed in the San Antonio vs Rodriguez case and a listing of current…

Vermont's Equal Educational Opportunity Act of 1997, "Act 60," was designed to rectify inequities in the state's funding of public education, as determined by the Vermont Supreme Court. This report examines the degree to which Act 60 has improved conditions over the last 5 years, focusing on the 3 main equity goals of Act 60 and the…

The funding and operation of Michigan's K-12 public school system was substantially changed in March 1994, with voter approval of a constitutional amendment and legislative adoption of 24 implementing state statutes. The comprehensive school funding proposal substantially reduced local property taxes; increased, and in some cases decreased, the…

Intended to answer questions regarding public schools in Washington, this handbook provides an overview of the organization and financing of the state's public school system, grades K-12. Included are brief descriptions of the Basic Education Act, the basic education allocation formula, how state and local funds are included in this formula, and…

Although the Illinois Farmland Assessment Act is not an educational finance reform but is designed to ease the increasing tax burden on the state's farmland and provide a uniform, state-wide method of farmland tax valuation, it has a significant impact on K-12 public school financing because of the relationship between property and public school…

This paper outlines the historical background leading to the California Serrano vs Priest decision, discusses the implications of that decision, and suggests what might be done to fashion the elements of a State aid formula to meet the tests of equity and fairness demanded by Serrano. The author presents the various equalizing formulas and…

Examines the present status of curriculum laws, the constitutional rights of those who oppose curriculum laws, and the possible impact of reduced local property taxes on state-mandated curricula. Available from Willamette University College of Law, Salem, OR 97301. (Author/IRT)

The authors contend that a solution to the problems raised by the "Serrano" decision is impossible without an understanding of the basic facts of public education in California. Size, cost, discrepancies, and ranking in relationship to other states and the nation are advanced to place California's public school system in clearer focus.…