Limitations on governmental taxing and/or spending, exemplified by the "Proposition 13" initiative in California, have been instituted or proposed in a large number of states. As the movement spreads, state education agencies (SEAs) and, especially, chief state school officers have fundamental policy decisions to make. Areas where the…

This report on local school system statistics in the United States presents data for 140 unified school systems with enrollments of 25,000 or more and for 157 high salary school systems with fewer than 25,000 students. Included are selected statistics on (1) pupils in school, (2) classroom teachers (degrees and turnover), (3) percents of revenue…

This study focuses on the distribution portion of the State school program. It examines the shortcomings of the present system and makes recommendations for changes. The study also considers school transportation in Indiana, school facilities funding, fiscal ability and effort of Indiana school corporations, and compensatory education programs.…

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…

This paper describes the processes and methodology used in a 3-year study of the Kentucky Foundation Program--a body of related Kentucky revised statutes which directs the amount and flow of State aid for public education in the State. A technical committee, a research committee, a citizens advisory council, and local study committees examined…

The mission of the study reported here was to provide a better understanding of the existing financial arrangement for elementary and secondary education, to design alternative systems where they appeared to be justified, and to recommend systems that would provide like amounts of dollars for students with similar characteristics (deaf, blind,…

This report presents an analysis of Illinois' present educational finance system and makes recommendations for future legislation to improve the system. The report discusses (1) State constitutional provisions, (2) the present tax structure and alternative taxing methods, (3) proposed distribution formulas and equalization methods, (4) financing…

This book is a general guide to Pennsylvania school law designed for use by school board members, school administrators, school attorneys, and interested laymen. It is organized in 17 chapters that focus in turn on different areas of school law, including school board members and school district officers, superintendents, teachers, pupils,…

Based on the assumption that fair tax systems should consider differences in ability to pay resulting from income sharing within families, this publication analyzes the effects of three strategies for federal tax reform on families raising children: the Armey/Shelby flat tax, the Nunn/Domenici USA Tax System, and the Gephardt 10-Percent Tax. Part…

This review of the history of school finance litigation highlights various rulings of the courts and the ways that legal strategies have changed over time. Originally the school finance cases were based on the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the argument being that differences in per pupil spending had…

The Minnesota school finance system is the method by which funds are provided for the operation of public elementary and secondary schools and public postsecondary vocational-technical institutes. This document comprises a reference guide for state legislators to the Minnesota school finance system. It begins with historical and legal background…

The appearance of Proposition 13, the Jarvis/Gann property tax limitation initiative, on the ballot in California in 1978 provoked legislators and educators alike to predict disastrous effects on education should the measure pass. Pass it did, and after the state went through a period of redistributing funds and the school districts reorganized…

This book explores three major fiscal problems facing elementary and secondary education in the United States: (1) school district difficulties in making ends meet, (2) disparities in expenditure levels and tax burdens among school districts, and (3) declining revenues and enrollments in nonpublic schools. The authors examine the underlying causes…

This document was written to inform a low income black community about the financial problems schools are having and to elicit their reactions to alternative ways by which schools could be financed. The document cites examples of school budget crises throughout the nation, presents a breakdown of present sources of school revenue, discusses how…

This review summarizes the recommendations of the President's Commission on School Finance and provides an annotated listing of the 34 project reports. The conclusions and recommendations are discussed under the following areas of concern: (1) establishing the preminence of State government in education, (2) initiating full State funding of…