ERIC Number: ED581978
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 232
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-0-3555-1196-3
ISSN: EISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Factors Associated with Passing School District Capital Project Referenda in Wisconsin, 2011-2016
Hoh, Thomas John
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Marian University
Wisconsin school district superintendents faced with the need to fund capital improvement projects through a school finance bond referendum need support. Information regarding the factors related to a successful referendum in Wisconsin is limited. This mixed methods study examined the factors associated with successful bond referenda in Wisconsin between 2011 and 2016. Using a multiple logistic regression, successful bond referenda results (n = 272) were analyzed to find correlational coefficients between several independent variables and the dependent variable of a successful referendum. Several alternative hypotheses were predicted as identified in the review of literature. Additionally, a survey instrument was adapted from the work of Johnson and Ingle (2009). The results of the Superintendent Referendum Survey (Appendix D) were analyzed using mixed methods. A 2 x 2 chi-square contingency table was used to determine statistical significance of identified strategies. Qualitative themes were also generated from superintendent responses. The results of the regression model revealed no significant correlation between the predicated variables of "district locale," "poverty," "college degree," "senior citizen," and "ethnicity" at the p < 0.05 levels. However, there were statistically significant variables that emerged outside of the anticipated alternative hypotheses. The variable of "overall accountability score" was found to be significant at the p < 0.05 levels. Additionally, bond referendum questions coded as "construction and renovation," "capital improvements," or "safety and security" proved to be significant whereas questions coded as "technology" and "transportation" were not significant to successful referenda. The chi-square test of the superintendent survey results indicates significance in three different strategies. The strategies of "year round PR campaign" (X[superscript 2](1) = 6.00, p = 0.014), "diverse community-led campaign committee" (X[superscript 2](1) = 5.18, p = 0.023), and "six-week campaign" (X[superscript 2](1) = 20.00, df = 1, p < 0.001) were all found to be superintendent strategies in this Wisconsin study that showed significance. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: School Districts, Educational Finance, Bond Issues, Voting, Superintendents, Mixed Methods Research, Multiple Regression Analysis, Correlation, Hypothesis Testing, Administrator Surveys, Statistical Significance, Predictor Variables, School Location, Poverty, Academic Degrees, Older Adults, Ethnicity, Accountability, Scores, Coding, Expenditures, Educational Strategies, Public Relations
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Wisconsin
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A