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…

The campaign for the 1996 Republican presidential election focused attention on proposals to replace the current federal income tax system with a flat tax. This booklet examines the ramifications of a flat tax for local school funding. Section 1 outlines the criteria for evaluating proposed taxes and the purposes of tax systems. The second section…

One of the most elusive problems confronted in designing state aid programs for the public schools has been the determination of equitable measures of local fiscal capacity. (Author)

This book provides Ohio citizens with information on school tax issues and levy campaigning. The material is presented in a structural step-by-step process that lends itself to the practical application for preparing a levy. This book is a guide to understanding various tax issues, tax reduction factors, and the changing tax duplicate that affects…

The three primary sources of funding for public education in America are the federal government, the state government, and the community. This paper presents an overview of trends in funding K-12 public education; the stability of local-funding sources; the value of public education as a factor in cost; political influences on school funding;…

In 1994, Michigan voters approved Proposal A, which reduced school property taxes, increased the sales tax, and established a per-pupil funding guarantee for public schools. This report describes the effects of Proposal A and challenges to it. Since Proposal A was implemented, funding for schools has grown substantially while property taxes have…

This study discusses whether two tax programs instituted by local communities in Michigan to generate local economic activity have adversely affected local public elementary and secondary school financing. Analysis of the effects on school funding of The Plant Rehabilitation and Industrial Development Law of 1974 and its expansion in Act 255 of…

This paper presents an overview of Florida's fiscal status and the state of its educational fiscal reform. Five areas of concern are identified regarding educational finance--adequacy of funding, educational reform initiatives including accountability, equity, alternative tax sources, and communication. These issues indicate a highly unstable…

The study reported in this document examined Connecticut's present system for financing public education and analyzed alternative systems. On the basis of study findings, some conclusions are presented in this report concerning (1) the total fiscal system within which Connecticut finances its schools, (2) fiscal disparities in the established…

This paper describes current school-funding policy issues in Washington State. The first part examines how Initiative 601, an initiative aimed at curbing state taxes and spending, will create fiscal instability for school districts. Difficulties include an expected growth in school enrollment exceeding population growth, an expected growth of…

Indiana public policy has frozen local property tax levies for public education funding since the early 1970s, which has resulted in an educational system largely supported by state fiscal aid. A statistical analysis of the fiscal equity of Indiana's school operating expenditures for the latest school year preceding the freeze (1972-73) and the…

This report provides an analysis of current inequities in school finance in Illinois, the historical roots of those inequities, and an analysis of alternative options for funding primary and secondary education. An introduction briefly describes the basis for the constitutional challenge to the current funding system. The next section describes…

Examines state revenue sources. Discusses the economic, demographic, and political factors affecting state spending over the past two decades. Predicts that the 1990s will be characterized by annual increases in educational spending that are far less than the expected rate of inflation. (FMW)