This monograph on charter schools and reform contains four chapters. The first chapter ("The Unfinished Goal and the Role of Interest Groups") discusses the history of the charter movement, its role, benefits, shortcomings, and the opposition to the movement from teacher unions. Charter schools have attracted support across the political spectrum…

This document presents the a 2-volume study and executive summary of the overall economic impacts generated by the Oregon Community College (OCC) system on 17 community colleges in Oregon. Volume 1, or the main report, indicates the OCC system employed 5,945 full- and 8,118 part-time faculty and staff in 2001, amounting to an annual payroll of…

This paper highlights the major federal and state public policy issues that will affect higher education in 2001 and 2002. Its purpose is to provide board members and other higher education officials with brief descriptions of the most important public policy issues. Each issue is defined, with a brief summary and a discussion in greater depth.…

This paper addresses the current context and general trends in community college financing. Financing of community colleges is becoming increasingly based on contracted government and private programs, as operating funds from state and local tax coffers decrease. More and more, students are being asked to pick up a larger portion of the tab.…

Description of the Ann Arbor (Michigan) District Library focuses on the transition from being a public library that had status under the public schools. Highlights include public support for new taxation, expanded and improved services, staff development, partnerships and programs with other community groups and schools, and future plans. (LRW)

Describes the "people's college" as the distinctive nineteenth-century educational institution of the United States. These tax-supported public secondary schools prepared graduates for business and industry but lost their position as the defining secondary institution when challenged to prepare students for college as well as employment.…

During the past 5 years, Oregon has set in motion a set of fundamental changes in state policy that will radically affect schools. It has: (1) reduced property taxes without increasing other taxes in a way that will reduce state/local taxes as a share of income from 12.1 percent of personal income in 1991 to 10.3 percent in 1996; (2) shifted to…

Public school funding in Florida differs from other states in a number of important ways. First, Florida has a highly equalized resource-distribution formula resulting in a high degree of interdistrict equity. Second, concerns for quality, while constant, have had to compete with the state's phenomenal growth. Third, the state exercises a much…

This paper examines the effects of spending variations among Missouri school districts on educational opportunity and quality. In an analysis of six matched pairs of Missouri school districts, each higher spending district was compared with a lower spending district of similar size. Data were derived from document analysis and interviews with the…

This report offers statistics and trends on educational costs at degree-granting institutions in New York State from 1986-87 to 1990-91. The report uses data collected from all New York State degree-granting institutions through the Department's Higher Education Data System (HEDS). Section I provides a general overview of state fiscal support over…

In an effort to measure the economic impact of Dutchess Community College (DCC), in Poughkeepsie, New York, on Dutchess County, a study was undertaken of expenditures and jobs created in the county during fiscal year 1991-92. To measure the tangible economic impact, three major financial components were examined: direct expenditures by the college…

In 1992, a study was conducted to create a framework allowing administrators at the College of DuPage (CD) in Illinois to examine the long-range implications of financial decisions. The CD long-range financial plans consist of the following components: operating funds; construction funds; tax funds; auxiliary enterprise funds; and non-grant…

Issues in public school finance are discussed in this research monograph, with an emphasis on Texas. Chapter 1 provides a national historical overview, examining the changing definition of equality. The second chapter examines equity challenges in the courts, specifically, two major types of constitutional issues: (1) equal protection clauses of…

The study reported in this document found no evidence for the minicipal overburden (m/o) hypothesis of urban school finance. The theory asserts that there is a causal relationship between high levels of non-school municipal expenditure or tax rates and low levels of school spending. Demand for expenditure on education in a sample of school…

This final report of the Nebraska School Financing Review Commission includes the following items: (1) an examination of the role of income as a revenue source and indicator of wealth; (2) investigation of ways to reduce reliance on property tax for school support; and (3) consideration of alternate state aid distribution formulas. Also included…