Public investments in repairs, modernization, and construction of schools cost billions. However, little is known about the nature of school facility investments, whether it actually changes the physical condition of public schools, and the subsequent causal impacts on student achievement. We study the achievement effects of nearly 1,400 capital…

Compares state funding for school infrastructure needs between 1993-94 and 1998-99. Found 164 percent increase in state infrastructure funding. Examines state funding mechanisms such as flat grants, equalized grants, categorical grants, and full-state funding. Fourteen states provide no state infrastructure funding; most rely instead on…

This comparative study involving four St. Paul-Minneapolis, Minnesota, metropolitan public school districts investigates strategies, non-strategic factors, and critical incidents thought to affect the outcome of school bond referenda. Results address what election strategies are most commonly used to affect the outcome of school bond referenda and…

Examines the linkage between facility bond elections and the indicators of wealth (property valuation and income) and the appropriateness of relying on property valuations as the primary indicator of school district wealth. Results from 31 randomly selected schools in Nebraska show an unclear relationship between wealth factors and success in…

An annual school bond survey for New Jersey reveals that while the state's voters had approved 60 percent of the school bond issues in 1998, the communities clearly could not meet the state's multi- billion dollar construction needs on their own. Further, communities with high property taxes had fewer bond elections and approved less of them than…

A 1999 annual school construction survey for New Jersey reveals that the state's voters approved 71.3 percent of the school construction elections, more than the previous year's approval rate of 60 percent. Construction costs also influenced regional approval rates which varied from 59.5 percent in the north to 89.3 percent in the south. Despite…

Large and small businesses have long financed capital projects through tax-exempt financing. Colleges that need large sums of money to retrofit campuses with energy-efficient equipment can achieve the lowest borrowing cost available through bond insurance. (Author/MSE)