Examines several schemes that include income (as well as property wealth) to measure school district fiscal capacity. (Author/JM)

It is often suggested that measuring local fiscal ability by full valuation of property per public school pupil is inaccurate and inequitable. One substitute measure proposed is district income per pupil or a combination of district income and property value per pupil. However, using this measure would result in a rise in the aid ratios in only…

Variations in public services and tax rates among communities may cause property values to vary, a concept referred to by economists as capitalization. The purpose of this booklet is to describe and evaluate the implications of capitalization primarily for school finance changes and secondarily for property tax changes. Section 1 describes the…

The complexities associated with Proposition 13 provide a lesson in the hazards of fiscal policy-making through direct voter participation. While the full effects of Proposition 13 are not yet known, it is clear that it has reshaped California local government finance overnight. (Author)

According to an initial study of finance equity in Georgia, the dominant cause of differences in resource indices among school districts was differences in teacher salaries. Building on two other studies in Milwaukee County (Wisconsin) and Florida that explored factors determining teacher salaries, the Georgia study was replicated, using complete…

The partial financing of New York State's public schools with a state-mandated tax coupled with state aid based upon county or regional wealth rather than local district wealth would provide greater equalization of both revenues and expenditures of school districts than does the present law. A comparable increase in state aid appropriations under…

Asserts that high wealth districts pay less and receive more while citizens of low wealth districts are strapped with a high tax rate that yields a low return of education, and that it is not the case that low wealth districts are mainly high income, white suburbs. (Author/IRT)

Although intended particularly for use by those in public higher education, this report provides general current information on state and local tax performance. A review of recent tax legislation lists 1978 measures designed to restrain state spending, summarizes 1978 tax legislation in general, and outlines the major legislative action regarding…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the implications of using personal income data in the New York state aid formula and to suggest ways in which such data could address specific inequities in the current formula. The first section of the paper is a brief review and evaluation of the Division of the Budget's study (in which estimates were made…

Findings of a study that examined the relationship between Pennsylvania teachers' salaries and local wealth are presented in this paper. Statistical analyses of 491 Pennsylvania school districts involved regression, t tests, and chi square. Findings indicate that two factors had a statistically significant impact on local teacher salaries: (1) the…

This book provides a nontechnical analysis of state and local finances that is intended to provide educators, lawmakers, students, and voters with the background necessary to form intelligent opinions and make effective decisions. The authors summarize current theories of the incidence of the major state and local taxes, assess the capacity of…

If taxes are higher in one town than in another it does not necessarily mean that residents of the low-tax town are better off; they may have had to pay high property prices to live in the more desirable low-tax town. It is incorrect to believe that property wealth differences are the only reason for spending disparities across towns. A more…

Describes the development and use of a Potential Revenue Index for public schools that can be used to measure the extent to which a state school finance program equalizes potential property tax revenues among local education agencies. (JG)

Findings of a study that determined the relationship between property taxes and individual adjusted gross income and that examined the feasibility of using these data to define an "income wealth" measure by school district are presented in this paper. Illinois Department of Revenue computer tapes for the tax years 1986-88 were analyzed;…

Results of a review of Wisconsin's general program for providing financial support to local school districts are presented in this paper, with a focus on developments of the 1980s. First, a brief history of the state aid program from 1949-80 is provided. The next section identifies seven disequalizing factors of the equalization aid program and…