An overview and analysis of state funding for community colleges is provided in this paper. After noting the inadequacy of state financial support for community colleges and the inconsistency of funding methods, the paper identifies states with large community college systems and states with few community college districts relative to their size.…

This paper examines the complex web of state basic and categorical aid programs in New York, with particular attention to the components of basic aid. State aid to elementary-secondary education in New York is distributed through a four-point basic-aid program and over 30 categorical programs. The first part of the paper describes the components…

A revised funding plan for the Illinois Community College System is presented as adopted by the Illinois Board of Higher Education for implementation in the fiscal year (FY) 1981 budget process. After outlining the characteristics of the community college system, the report provides a summary of the funding plan, pointing out the advantages and…

The purpose of federal support for the general educational goals of higher education is examined in this testimony. Such support for higher education currently amounts to $3.4 billion, exclusive of research and veterans educational benefits under the GI bill. Two roles are identified for federal support of higher education: (1) the role of…

Although the federal Goals 2000 program provides supplemental funding for systemic education reform, states' fiscal abilities to finance systemic reform are stressed. This paper presents findings of a study that analyzed the extent of fiscal equity present in the southern states and examined the status of systemic reform, school-finance…

This paper describes some of the significant school-finance policy issues facing the state of Georgia, and speculates as to the possible consequences of certain policy alternatives. The state faces the following potentially divisive issues: (1) proposals for the provision of publicly funded vouchers for private choices in education; (2) the…

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential role of selected fiscal incentives in attempting to achieve greater racial and socioeconomic integration through open enrollment programs. Three premises underlie this paper: first, that past experience with district wide unrestricted (color-blind) open enrollment plans indicate that this…

New Mexico has a long history of funding public education through state revenues distributed by formula funding. K-12 education in New Mexico relies on central state funds rather than on local property taxes. This paper presents a history and overview of the current funding formulas for K-12 and higher education, as well as other funding sources…

Recent national information is presented on the relationships among school district poverty, local fiscal needs and capacities, and Chapter 1 allocation levels. Focus is on assessing how the relationship between poverty and local fiscal capacity affects a school district's state/local revenue base. Targeting federal compensatory aid correctly is…

Public Law 81-874, enacted by Congress in 1950, allowed distribution of direct federal financial assistance to local public school districts serving children of parents who either lived or worked on tax-exempt federal property. The law, as subsequently amended, divides the affected children into Category A (students whose parents both reside on…

As a result of state legislators' conviction that Chapter 1 fund mismanagement by the Chicago Public Schools had led to yearly increases in administration size to the detriment of students' real needs, the Chicago School Reform Act of 1988 placed a cap on noninstructional expenses and a progressive cessation on state aid to the poverty impaction…

The issue of financing postsecondary education was discussed from the point of view of low-income and minority students in Southern states. Additional discussions not reported in this monograph were reflected in the recommendations from the conference that were published separately. Emphasis in these papers was on the proper relationship of…

New directions in federal educational policy in the 1980s have had clear and consistent implications for state education finance systems. This study reviews the financing arrangements that have emerged during the 1980s at the state level, discusses the costs of new legislative mandates and state programs, and assesses the extent to which federal…

This study's purpose was to explore the premise that increasing state support for elementary/secondary schools increases equal student access to educational opportunity. Following a brief overview of the background of the problem, including a description of the so-called "Minnesota Miracle" or Omnibus Tax Law of 1971 with its provisions…