A small rural Missouri school district successfully campaigned for an 81-cent tax increase: 38 cents for a levy to operate schools, and a 43-cent bond issue that would allocate money to build new facilities. Passage of the referendum required at least a year of hard work and planning, positive advertisements, and a lot of community involvement.…

Board members from around the country identified the keys to successful school board campaigns. Generally, board members say the cost of waging an election campaign is rising. Candidates are making fuller use of voter lists to target demographic groups. A sidebar lists the high cost of getting elected in the large districts of Dade county,…

An initiative petition passed in 1982 for a 1-cent sales tax accounted for between 13 and 15 percent of the total public school budget in Missouri as of the 1991-92 school year. Outlines the steps necessary to gather the necessary signatures from registered voters and to get the measure approved. (MLF)

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)

A Colorado school district attracted over 2,000 volunteers to work on a winning campaign for a mill increase to make up for a $7 million shortfall in state funds. Offers 10 key lessons along with pointers for putting them to work in other school districts. (MLF)

California voters rejected Proposition 174, the "Parental Choice in Education" initiative, by a margin of seven to three. Estimated cost of the campaign, a week before the election, was $20.l million. Despite the defeat, Americans for School Choice, a national organization, has announced plans to launch voucher proposals in 25 states by…

After five years of opposition, voters in the Jefferson County, Colorado, School District approved a $325 million bargain. Describes how the district made major management decisions, rebuilt credibility among voters, and ran the campaign. Cites a budget-tracking tool, School Micro-Financial Allocation Study, that helps school districts track how…

An estimated 4,000 members of the politically active fundamentalist Christian Coalition organization met in September 1995. The two-day convention featured speeches from prominent conservative politicians. Ralph Reed, executive director, touched upon the Coalition's growing emphasis on local politics, especially school boards. (MLF)

Describes organizational and planning strategies used to convince voters in the Park City (Utah) School District to approve two bond referendums. Offers 10 suggestions for conducting a successful school-bond campaign. (LMI)

Claiming that individual school board members act in selfish ways, proposes electing entire school board as a slate. Board would collectively be held responsible for performance of the school system and all of its employees. State legislation would be required to specify how interested groups would select a slate and create a charter, which is the…

To win voter support for school taxes, school boards should (1) study the economic and political climate; (2) use the media; (3) explain the budget; (4) recruit supporters; (5) remind people of school services and benefits; and (6) get out the vote. (MLF)

Describes the referendum campaign that resulted in voter approval of a $980 million bond issue, part of a $1.5 billion building project, for the Dade County, Florida, Public Schools. (MLF)