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…

The attitudes and opinions of Massachusetts legislators, municipal leaders, and educators regarding school finance reform reveal that school finance reform should aim for equal educational opportunity. Future school aid reform should be a total program to provide aid to cities and towns, gradually raising education's share to 50 percent state aid…

This report represents a hearing on the Indian School Equalization Program (ISEP) administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The hearing began with opening remarks by the acting committee chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs, Paul Simon. Testimonies concerning the inadequacies of the ISEP funding formula are provided…

Under the provisions of New Jersey Public Law 212, the amount of state equalizing aid for public education received by each local school district depends on how much revenue each district chooses to raise from local taxes. In order to predict the pattern of total school expenditures across New Jersey's school districts, it is necessary to predict…

Policy suggestions for achieving the equitable and effective funding of Maryland public schools are offered in this document. The ideas presented draw upon papers presented and discussions held at a statewide conference entitled "Setting the Agenda for Funding Equity." Purposes of the conference were to develop the policy elements of a…

The justifications for substantial additional federal funding which were persuasive toward the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) are even more compelling today as cutbacks in educational services occur across the nation. Since 1971 there have been widespread changes in state systems of school finance as a result 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…

Issues in the funding of public primary and secondary education in Maryland are examined in this analysis of the final report made by the state legislature's Study Group on Education and Local Government. Following a statement of study group principles, four policy options are examined: (1) ways to modify current funding commitments; (2) several…

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…

The study reported in this document examined Connecticut's present system for financing public education and analyzed alternative systems. On the basis of study findings, some conclusions are presented in this report concerning (1) the total fiscal system within which Connecticut finances its schools, (2) fiscal disparities in the established…

The Educational Priorities Panel undertook a study to find out how funds are distributed among community school districts in New York (New York) and how resources are distributed to individual schools within the system. For the first time, in 1992, the New York City Board of Education published detailed budgets for the 32 community school…

In 1980, the Ohio Board of Regents (OBR) proposed several alternative funding formulas for the state's public-assisted institutions in anticipation of enrollment declines. Two alternatives, involving subsidy ceilings and free competition for students, were dismissed in favor of a third alternative involving a system of voluntary restraints in…

The financial plan presented in this paper removes some of the current inequities of the property tax through the following basic features: a per pupil expenditure lid up to which the State provides aid; an equalized assessment rate which is enforced; State aid distributed on the basis of the wealth of the district in comparison to the wealth of…

Chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) provides small amounts of relatively unrestricted federal funds to state and local agencies on a noncompetitive, formulaic basis; thus it has been hailed as the harbinger of the "new Federalism." The lack of narrow constraints and the simplified application and…

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…