The education policy and philanthropy communities to date have placed a premium on funding charter schools that have high concentrations of poverty and large numbers of minority students. This report asks: Might it make more sense for foundations and policymakers to embrace a variety of approaches, including efforts to demonstrate the feasibility…

The first section of this report focuses on school finance in Maryland and briefly overviews the relative importance of federal, state and local funding. The next section summarizes state education aid, focusing on policy goals guiding state aid, the brief history of state education aid, and the various approaches Maryland uses to distribute…

State and local governments are primary funders of education and children's services, directly funding some programs and matching funding from federal or other sources for other programs. Spending on programs for children varies widely. This report brings together data from various sources that, taken together, show spending on children's programs…

A survey was conducted of Illinois community college presidents and business managers to determine current institutional thinking on the Illinois funding formula. Study findings, based on responses from 36 out of the 39 colleges in the state included the following: (1) 64% of the respondents favored the concept of averaging credit hours and unit…

This paper examines changes in California's school finance system over the past 35 years. It focuses specifically on the growth of categorical program funding. The study assesses the nature and magnitude of changes, the causes of those changes, the significance of those changes for the capacity of schools to provide high quality educational…

Prepared in response to a directive from the California Legislature, this report presents the results of a differential funding study for the California community college system. Part one provides a summary of the study and its findings, discusses elements of a proposed plan for the implementation of a differential funding system, and indicates…

A program-based funding model is presented for the California community colleges, using five major categories of programs and services (i.e., instruction, instructional services and libraries, student services, maintenance and operations, and institutional support). Following an executive summary, section I of the report deals with the need for…

Based on information provided by state directors of community/junior college education, this report reviews state approaches to community college financing. The report includes data from 35 states, which together accounted for 86.3% of the total enrollment in community/junior colleges in 1980. Section I presents conclusions drawn from the data,…

Statement 34 is the most significant change in the history of governmental accounting. It is a dramatic change in the way school districts report and present financial information. This new reporting model affects every public-school organization that issues financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).…

The system for financing education in Illinois fails to deliver sufficient resources to the school districts that need them most. Although no individual or administrative unit acts to deprive particular groups, the system as a whole does. Using Census figures, state and local tax records and information from the Illinois Board of Education, this…

The history of Illinois community college operating finance policy is traced from July 1964 with the establishment of a semester hour flat rate grant (FRG) through the following: an equalization formula in addition to the FRG; supplemental non-business occupational grants; supplemental appropriations during a sudden enrollment increase;…

This report reviews the method and level of funding for special education facility needs in California and recommends modifications. It begins by summarizing special education programs, describes classroom needs, and finally discusses past and present facilities funding methods. A discussion of various options for funding special education…

The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) 1996 report on the state of America's children highlights the critical need for renewed commitment to children by early childhood advocates, parents, and all sectors of society. The introduction describes in general the crises faced by children and calls for adults to recommit their energies to providing solutions…