Discusses racial inequality in educational funding and other educational opportunities throughout the United States. Argues that reliance on local taxes as a primary source of school funding and the sanctity of local school-district boundaries are the main institutional obstacles to the elimination of racial inequality. (CAJ)

The real property tax is local government's primary source of revenue, providing 48 percent of local governmental revenues nationwide. Of all local government expenditures, 37 percent go to elementary and secondary schools. Therefore, problems with property tax become problems of school finance. Taxes and subsidies generally do not change the…

State legislation that has contributed to the reduction of Arkansas' tax base is described in this paper. Amendment 59, adopted in 1980, has reduced the state tax base by millions of dollars. At the end of 1992, the majority of school districts have equalized their real, personal, and carrier and utility property. Act 34, the current foundation…

This study identifies successful election strategies employed by community colleges in bond issues or tax levy increase elections, and distills these strategies into a list of principles or rules that can be utilized by colleges in preparing for such an event. Results of case studies conducted at Maricopa (Arizona), Santa Monica (California), and…

This chapter deals with 1981 cases involving the financial support of schools. According to the author, challenges to the constitutionality of state supported programs continued, as did litigation dealing with the funding of programs for children with special needs and with the requirements and enforcement of federal regulations. An increase in…

User charges are explored as an alternative source of finance for educational investment in Malawi. Two major issues are addressed: first, are families able and willing to pay; and second, what can users accomplish in terms of expanding the size of realized enrollment, given the public budget constraint. An analysis of data from primary and…

School district bond ratings, issued on request by Standard and Poor's Corporation or Moody's Investors Service, hold implications for school districts' financial management. Ultimately, the bond rating assigned is a factor affecting the total cost of the bond issuance, related to the principal and interest payments over the life of the debt. A…

This hearing discusses proposed legislation which would reauatorize federal impact aid as part of the Elementary, Secondary and Vocational Education Act of 1987. Three members of Congress and the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education presented testimony. Recommendations included the…

The Tennessee School Finance Equity Study was begun in 1978 to review the equity and adequacy of Tennessee's Public School Finance Program. Changes in the structure of the Tennessee Foundation Program (TFP) did achieve greater equity in the amount of funds local districts obtained from the foundation program even though the residence of the…

The formulas used to determine the financial support available to Minnesota's school districts from the state are presented in this booklet along with examples of their application in a hypothetical district. The booklet first reviews a number of terms used in discussing Minnesota's aid program, then describes the foundation programs and…

An investigation of a proposed public transit was based on the assumptions that knowledge of school tax referenda should provide a framework for understanding voter behavior in other types of referenda, and that propositions generated in one type of research should hold up in another. It was anticipated that there would be spillover effects from…

Thirteen tables present 1979-1980 data on public school enrollment, revenue sources, capital and operating expenditures, debt, and cash and security holdings. Data are provided for each state, for categories of school-district enrollment size, and for all individual school systems with over 15,000 students. Revenues and expenditures for each state…

The purposes of this report are (1) to document the present inequalities in public school spending and local tax burdens and to identify the principal reasons for existing disparities; and (2) to review and evaluate proposals for reform of the currently inadequate public school finance systems. Previous studies, current State and Federal aid…

This document contains a summary of the recommendations made in 1972 and 1973 by the Commission to the Illinois Legislature. Areas covered in the proposed educational legislation and in the recommendations include the common school fund, adult education, the gifted program, special education, the bilingual program, urban education, pupil…

In describing how the present Texas school finance system actually works, this report considers the historical development of the finance system, provides a breakdown of how money is allocated among and between school districts, and examines the problem of who pays for the schools. The foundation program, other State aid, enrichment, and the…