The executive editor provides documentation on the widely publicized Kentucky school finance case, focusing events stemming from Lower Circuit Court Judge Ray Corns's decision that the state school financing system was unconstitutional. Barwick summarizes dates and events, beginning with a questionable June 1973 finance plan through adoption of a…

Examined disequalizing effects of two nonvoted millage rates (discretionary millage and the school capital improvement millage) when combined with revenues obtained through the equalized foundation portion of the Florida Education Finance Program. Although discretionary levies add a slightly disequalizing component to the foundation program…

Ostensibly, state governing and coordinating boards have been established to reduce unwarranted duplication of effort and costly competition and to increase overall efficiency of higher education operations. As this study shows, there is some indication that these objectives have been achieved, but additional research is needed to develop clear…

Although the Ohio Supreme Court announced its unconstitutionality verdict 3 years ago, litigation and outcomes are incomplete. Due to legislative and referenda failures, implementation has reverted to the judiciary branch. An effective solution may be to address school-finance reform on a case-by-case basis. (Contains 35 references.) (MLH)

Discusses key issues surrounding state higher education tuition prepayment plans, including the inability of state legislatures to raise future tuition levels, the risks incurred by states, and overall equity concerns. One problem: the program seems targeted for middle and upper classes and traditional college-age students. Examines alternative…

Discusses the educational finance problems facing West Virginia since Judge Arthur Recht ruled the state's school funding system unconstitutional because it created disparities and inequities. Unfortunately, Judge Jerry Cook's 1987 funding plan was overturned in November 1988, and the state legislature has failed to address property reappraisal…

Revenue generated by nonresidential property sources poses a different set of constraints on school expenditures than does revenue generated by residential property sources. The fortunes of an Ohio school system seem bound up with Honda's local success. Marysville's total spending per pupil continues to lag behind that in comparable districts,…

"Mock v. Kansas" (1991) determined that the state legislature is obligated to fund its schools so that each child receives an equal educational opportunity. Two major sources of funding variations (the local option budget and higher weightings for rural students) represent unjustified disparities based on politics (and spending) as…

Summarizes a New York State Board of Regents study group's findings in four sections: an overview and critique of the real property tax; proposals for reforming this tax; proposals for shifting away from real property; and proposals for freeing resources by improving management of educational systems. Progress could be made on all fronts…

In October 1996, the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed lower court decisions and dismissed a lawsuit claiming that the state's public school funding system violated the Illinois constitution. This decision ended a six-year battle to reform the state's school funding system. The courts found no constitutional issues in the case because education has…

Estimates variations in expenditures per pupil among local education areas (LEAs) within the United States, based on U.S. Census data for the 1989-90 school year. States with the highest expenditure variations and widest range of per pupil expenditures include the unified LEAs of Alaska and New York; the elementary districts in Arizona, Illinois,…

To understand how the political dynamics of state bond elections could affect education funding, this study analyzed factors influencing voter support on all 319 state ballot initiatives or referenda to authorize debt for a specific government function from 1978 to 1990. Voter support for education debt is generally high. (34 footnotes) (MLH)

Examines equity consequences of Tennessee's 1992 education finance reform. Assesses concurrent changes in student performance over the funding formula's phase-in period, addressing test-score distribution and movement toward adequacy. Results are mixed. Tennessee should consider incorporating an outcome-based, adequacy funding approach to achieve…

Explores differences between analyses of instructional resource allocation at district and school levels in Florida's 67 counties, concentrating on possible effects of noneducational student characteristics on deprivation of educational opportunity. Results revealed clear evidence of inequality for schools with high percentages of low…

Interviews involving 58 Ohio stakeholders focused on detailing state K-12 education goals, identifying the current system's strengths and weaknesses, and discussing the financial/political viability of potential school funding strategies. Consensus emerged regarding the role of property taxes, local control, the foundation formula rationale, and…