Discusses the implications of the Serrano vs Priest decision on the Illinois State school financing system. (JF)

A 1973 Illinois school finance reform program initiated a guaranteed tax yield system that can also be considered a district power equalization system. This paper evaluates this reform according to four criteria: permissable variance, fiscal neutrality, reward for effort, and aid to urban areas. Emphasis is given to a discussion of legal and…

School districts in Illinois are supported by revenues received primarily from local property taxes. Since the amount of local funds generated to support schools are affected by differences in property wealth, and property wealth is inequitably distributed, the funds available to provide an education to each student are also inequitably…

An essential prerequisite to reform of present methods of financing elementary and secondary schools and the development of an equitable, adequate, and workable system of school finance is a precise understanding of how the existing system works and its impact on different school districts and population groups. This report documents the existing…

A reform in the grant-in-aid system passed in Illinois in the summer of 1973 was evaluated. The State Changed on that date from a foundation system to a district power equalization system. Operational definitions of fiscal policy goals, such as fiscal neutrality and permissible variance of expenditures, were established and measurements taken…