Tax revenue flows to California's nearly 1,000 school districts through many different channels. According to the Governor's Committee on Education Excellence (2007), this system is so complex that the state cannot determine how revenues are distributed among school districts, and after reviewing a large number of academic studies in the Getting…

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…

This paper, one of three related documents, examines the distributions of general revenues and instructional expenditures across school districts in Michigan. It discusses the equal yield formula for the funding of public schools and examines how the formula has accomplished its objectives. The data indicate success in reducing the effects of…

Through an examination of the economic and ethical implications of additional redistribution, the author shows that the massive redistribution currently taking place each year makes it very costly to attempt to move still further toward equality. (Author/AM)

Money to operate Washington's public schools comes from state, local, and federal sources. For the 1995-96 school year, total combined revenue exceeded $5 billion. The largest share of Washington's operating budget is devoted to K-12 education. This paper portrays critical features of Washington's school finance system. It first examines current…

Washington State assumes full responsibility for funding a basic education program for K-12 public schools. Full funding of basic education includes special education programs, transitional bilingual programs, remediation-assistance programs, and certain pupil transportation costs. This paper describes conditions in Washington State school finance…

In 1994, Michigan voters amended the state constitution to reduce schools' reliance on local property taxes for financial support. School districts were also divided into three funding tiers that were determined by their 1993-94 state and local revenues. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the impact of Michigan's finance reform…

This handbook is one in a series prepared for use at workshops designed to help teachers, administrators, and legislators understand and deal with the intricacies of school finance equalization plans in their states. Michigan's education finance plan is discussed in this particular book. Chapter 1 discusses how Michigan's plan undertakes its…

This handbook is one in a series prepared for use at workshops designed to help teachers, administrators, and legislators understand and deal with the intricacies of school finance equalization plans in their states. Pennsylvania's education finance plan is discussed in this particular book. Chapter 1 discusses state support for education in…

This handbook is one in a series prepared for use at workshops designed to help teachers, administrators, and legislators understand and deal with the intricacies of school finance equalization plans in their states. Rhode Island's education finance plan is discussed in this particular book. Chapter 1 discusses how Rhode Island's plan undertakes…

Education researchers have moved beyond asking whether money matters to school performance. They are now investigating how money matters to student learning and achievement. There are three questions that policymakers and citizens must address: How much money are they willing to spend on the education of the young? How should it be fairly spent?…

Funding public schools is one of the most important functions of states in the United States, provinces in Canada, and local governments in both countries. These two volumes present descriptive information about how state and provincial school-finance systems operated during 1993-94. The volumes consist of two major parts: United States Overview…

This document is the second in a series of reports that measures progress to-date in making New Jersey's school finance system fairer to students and taxpayers alike. It examines change in the distribution of revenues and expenditures between 1975-76 and 1978-79, the equity of these distributions, how budget caps influenced these shifts, and the…

Traditional ways of funding our public schools are now under challenge throughout the nation. Armed with the equal protection clause of the Federal Constitution, judges are handing down decisions requiring school taxes and expenditures to reflect State wealth rather than variations in local wealth. Voters in rich and poor districts alike are…

A comprehensive program for finance reform of the Texas school system based on an analytical paradigm that encompasses adequacy, equity, and efficiency considerations is introduced. Topics such as the development of the Texas conceptual model, the structural elements of the allocation model, and the development of the revenue-raising system are…