Education provides one of the best opportunities for American children to build the capacity to climb up the economic ladder. It has even been called the "great equalizer" in American society. In today's tightened labor market, providing equal access to postsecondary education is more critical than ever. The Georgetown Center on…

Analyzes the effects of 1997 Vermont school-finance reform legislation (Act 60) to resolve taxpayer inequity and disparity in per-pupil spending. Identifies shortcomings in Act 60 and suggests that alternative school-finance reform proposals such as Education Revenue Sharing may help legislators remedy some of these shortcomings. (PKP)

This report describes and summarizes the final report of a 1976-77 study of Vermont's system of raising and distributing educational resources. In this study, Vermont's school finance system was analyzed, several alternative school finance formulas were simulated, and an extensive school finance data set and data set documentation were compiled.…

Following an analysis of Vermont's present system of allocating state and federal vocational education funds, alternative formulas and methods for allocation are presented. The first chapter focuses on concerns raised with the present system, particularly the data used to allocate money and the focus on concern for distribution across institutions…

In 1997, Vermont passed Act 60, which reformed its education finance system to achieve greater equality of spending. The reform encouraged wealthy towns to reduce spending; it was politically unpopular and was replaced, in 2004, by Act 68. We analyze the spending incentives created by the two acts and estimate the effects the change will have on…