Evidence of confusion in intermediate accounting textbooks regarding the annual percentage rate (APR) and annual effective rate (AER) is presented. The APR and AER are briefly discussed in the context of a note payable and correct formulas for computing each is provided. Representative examples of the types of confusion that we found is presented…

One alternative to the insurance crisis faced by school districts is self-insurance, either through pooling or capital market funding. After a brief discussion of the insurance issue, research and literature dealing specifically with self-insurance through pooling and capital market funding are described. Finally, an assesment is made of the…

Mail-in elections are prompting school officials to communicate their message to a wide variety of audiences. Many of the states using vote-by-mail have also made it much easier for citizens to cast absentee ballots. Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of voting by mail. (MLF)

Reflecting widespread unhappiness with the growing tax burdens in this country, the most active area of litigation reported in the property chapter this year involves various attempts by taxpayers to prevent the construction or remodeling of public school facilities. While some taxpayers fought to keep schools from being built, others in New York…

This chapter of "Principles of School Business Management" provides a generic overview of the major tasks associated with financing a school district's large capital programs. The chapter opens with a brief historical review of the limited provisions made for capital outlay prior to the 1960s and of the trends in financing in recent decades. The…

Chapter 7 of a book on school law, this chapter deals with 1979 cases involving disputes over property. Cases involving taxpayer attempts to prevent the construction of school buildings dominate this year's property chapter, as they did last year's. Yet, paradoxically, there is also a significant increase in cases in which taxpayers tried to…

A survey of absentee voting in the Highline (Washington) School District revealed that mailed-in ballots have no better than--and often less than--a 50-50 chance of favoring school finance issues. School officials should reconsider encouraging the growth of voting by mail. (IW)

The 51.7 million students enrolled in public and private schools this year outstrip the 51.3 million mark set in 1971. Today's taxpayers are reluctant to pay for new schools; therefore, school leaders need to be creative in handling the enrollment crunch. Experts in fast-growing districts offer tips. (MLF)

Suggestions and guidelines to help school administrators, business officials, board members, and others interested in improving school facilities are presented in this book. Chapter 1, "School Building Programs, Equipment Acquisition: The Anatomy of School Debt Financing" (Edgar H. Bittle), provides an overview of the legal and planning issues…

While the number of cases dealing with school property issues was significantly lower than in previous years, a significant number of cases involving the detachment and attachment of land to school districts arose. Eight of the eleven cases dealing with land detachment come from Illinois. The cases concerned requests from parents that their…

Toward the close of the school year 1912-13 the United States Commissioner of Education sent a letter to all school superintendents who have rural schools under their supervision, asking them to report to the Bureau of Education anything of unusual or special value that had been done in the schools during the past year or two. These…

Student loan alternatives for states, educational institutions, and others who may be facing recent or anticipated reductions in federal aid are considered. Attention is focused on short-run possibilities that require relatively little or no modification of existing federal statutes. Considerations in developing loan alternatives include the…

A special pullout report presents school statistics including teacher and administrator salaries, trends in school construction and bond issues, and how minority students are achieving. State-by-state figures include enrollment, teacher salaries, expenditure per pupil, graduation rates, and standardized test scores. (MLF)

School systems have been forced to postpone purchases of new equipment and to defer repair and renovation projects. At present, 39 states provide support for local school district capital expenditures through five primary mechnanisms: full state assumption, state/local sharing, state flat grant, state equalizing grant, and state loans. In response…

This textbook of 24 chapters provides administrators and students with information on the role, activities, and responsibilities of the school business administrator. The independently authored chapters are titled as follows: (1) "Introduction to School Business Management" (F. Mike Miles); (2) "Legal Context of the Public School District" (Paul…