This booklet contains a brief analysis of four "real life" alternatives (Minnesota, Michigan, Kansas, and New York) for State systems of funding schools, along with a concise conceptual framework for approaching the study of school finance reform. Because the booklet was prepared as a practical guide for State legislators, the authors avoid highly…

The format of this monograph follows essentially the arrangement of the day-long conference on Serrano vs. Priest: a major paper presentation, followed by a panel of three respondents, and subsequent general discussion involving the audience and conference participants. The editors have attempted to provide both the formal and the extemporaneous…

This paper discusses alternative methods for financing education including sales and compensating taxes, mineral leasing, and land income. The author discusses the problem of local control under a full State funding system. He warns that merely allocating money to school districts on an equal basis will fail to accomplish equal education unless…

This paper explores definitional problems of the equalization concept in school finance, highlights some problems in the measurement of this concept, and discusses its application to current State educational fiscal policy matters. To define equalization, the report poses basic questions covering the concept, surveys school finance literature for…

This pamphlet is intended as a supplement to the booklet, "Recommendations for Legislative Consideration on Public Education in Texas," which was also published by the Texas Education Agency in November 1974. This pamphlet discusses a proposed state school finance plan developed by the State Board of Education and presents 12 specific…

An analysis of the relationship between district wealth and tax effort concludes that, while state aid is generally equalizing, the school funding structure is a dual system in which state aid is almost randomly spent in outlier districts. It is inferred that outliers translate guaranteed state aid into lower local taxes. (MJL)

Describes a model of relative ruralness for rural states. Applies model to North Dakota, generating descriptions of principals (age, sex, teachers supervised, salary, contract time, experience, expectations, etc.) and districts (enrollment, assessed valuation, total mills levied, per pupil costs, accredidation levels). Compares principals and…

After explaining briefly the history of educational funding in the United States, the authors discuss the current revenue sources and fiscal status of American public school facilities financing. Included are three tables with state-by-state information concerning bond referenda, public school bonded indebtedness, and debt loads. (JBM)

Many states have found that financing public schools through local property taxes is unlawful under their state constitutions; as a result, they must consider using state tax revenue as the primary source of local school-district funding. The recent California experience provides a sample of political economic behaviors used to respond to the…

In 1996, the Mississippi State Department of Education published information on accreditation, finances, student achievement, and other variables that could be utilized to assess each school district's success. After the report's publication, questions surfaced regarding disparities in the funding of the public school districts in the state. An…

Presents a history of New Jersey's Public School Education Act of 1975, including a discussion of the landmark decision Robinson v. Cahill (1970), which found the state's educational finance system unconstitutional. Measures of expenditure disparity and wealth neutrality are then used to assess the present New Jersey school finance system. (JW)

Direct payment of teacher salaries by the federal government is one means of achieving uniform financial support of education, local tax relief, resolution of many professional problems and improvement of quality instruction and instructors. No change is proposed in local control of hiring, firing, seniority, tenure, or merit practices. (Author)

In its first year (1986-87), a $37.4 million Connecticut aid program has markedly reduced disparities in teacher salaries and expenditures per pupil. This paper reviews the use of school aid increases in Connecticut, describes the simulation models used, explains the models' role in targeting state aid, and outlines the legislation and its…

To increase the reliability of forecasting school district income and expenditures, school business managers should clarify the purpose and time frame of the forecast; be sure the basic data are accurate; specify the assumptions; be consistent in calculation; examine data critically; and recognize that forecasting requires insight and intuition.…

Examines local politics, economics, and other factors contributing to the results of the 1987 and 1992 tax elections in a Louisiana city-parish. Results suggest that proponents of educational agendas should couch propositions in terms of developmental policies, because all socioeconomic segments tend to support development. (SLD)