Educational policy makers (e.g., legislators, state and local school boards) continue to promote inter-district service consolidation as one method to reduce operating expenditures citing economies of scale as the source of any savings. This study uses survey data to identify the extent of non-instructional service consolidation in Michigan, with…

In the passionate debates over providing equal educational opportunity for all children, it's frequently argued that large financial inequities create challenges for many public schools, particularly those in lower-income urban areas. This study compares the revenues and operating expenditures of Michigan's urban, suburban, town and rural school…

Educational Service Agencies (ESAs) across the United States have historically provided programs and services to local districts in an effort to increase educational achievement for students and the efficiency of local schools. Intermediate School Districts (ISDs), Michigan's unique brand of ESA, are no different. They are there to serve the needs…

Data are presented describing expenditures for personal health services in Michigan from 1977 to 1981. The rapid growth in expenditures is illustrated, as well as the rates of growth in expenditures, for major categories of health services. Personal health expenditures are defined as payments for care directly provided to patients: specifically,…

This paper and the accompanying data describe health-related expenditures made by Michigan state government agencies from fiscal year 1978 through fiscal year 1984. Expenditures represented in the data include resources received from the federal government. (The data exclude certain expenditures which might be considered health-related, such as:…

Examined whether Michigan's elementary charter schools' expenditures differ from those of comparable-enrollment local districts. During 1995-96, charters spent an average of 57 percent of revenues on instruction and about 43 percent on support services, compared to 65 and 35 percent for comparable districts. Charters' administrative expenditures…

A rural township in one of the fastest growing counties in northern Michigan was selected as a prototype for changes in small rural communities experiencing rapid population growth due to inmigration. In 1973, 180 permanent residents and 58 seasonal homeowners in Hayes Township completed questionnaires covering household composition; family…

"Moving the Needle on Poverty" is designed to provide Colorado leaders with an up-to-date picture of the diverse strategies that states across the nation are pursuing to lift individuals, families, and communities out of poverty. As the report indicates, many states are choosing to set specific and measurable goals for poverty reduction,…