This study analyzed the degree to which state education funding systems supported social justice for the 1998-99 school year, where social justice was operationalized using the theory of vertical equity and research-based factors that placed students at risk of academic failure. The results of the study combined content analysis and statistical…

Investigates state unmet funding needs for school infrastructure. Finds an estimated total of $266.1 billion in unmet funding needs. Provides state-by-state estimates of unmet funding that range from $220.1 million in Vermont to $47.6 billion in New York. Compares urban and rural infrastructure needs. Includes recommendations for school business…

This article presents a cross-section, 50-state analysis of school finance legislation from the 2000 session and a seven-year trend analysis, dating back to 1994. The framework for analysis was grounded in the theory of intergovernmental grants. Although the 2000 legislative session was an active one, the total number of bills passed represented a…

Reviews 1997 school finance legislation, comparing legislative activity levels from 1994 to 1997. In 1997, 32 states passed legislation pertaining to capital-outlay funding, tax bases, and taxation for education funding. Half passed legislation for state aid, technology, special-purpose education, budgeting/fiscal management, and school personnel…

This paper presents the results of the second annual survey of state school-finance legislation conducted by the Education Finance and Economics Program of the National Education Association's Research Unit. The report, the only comprehensive 50-state survey being conducted, has three major purposes: (1) to provide an annual snapshot of state…

This report contains the results of the sixth annual survey of state school-finance legislation. It has three major purposes: (1) to provide an annual snapshot of state legislative activity in school finance; (2) to serve as a reference guide for legislative language for particular education-funding areas; and (3) to contribute to the development…

This paper provides a state-by-state overview of the 1999 legislative sessions. It includes a comparative analysis of state school-finance legislation from 1994 through 1999, and offers the results of an analysis that examined established and emergent trends. It claims that in 1999, 563 bills on school-finance legislation were passed and signed…

American society has long realized the importance of education as a tool for social and economic mobility and therefore has supported free public education with taxpayer dollars. Understanding that every child is entitled to an education appropriate to his or her needs, to varying extents state legislatures have recognized the importance of…

With regard to school finance legislation, 1994 was an active year with 13 cases decided and over 100 pieces of legislation passed. This paper provides a summary and analysis of state school-finance litigation and legislation for that calendar year. The first part summarizes and analyzes state school-finance court decisions; included is a table…

During the 1993-94 school year, New York implemented major reforms in school finance. This paper describes the proposed 1994-95 school funding system, with a focus on the role of basic aid and changes from the previous year. The first section describes the components and accompanying formulas for the basic aid program and then highlights the major…

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…

This paper examines the concepts of adequacy and stability as found in educational finance and Oregon reform efforts and legislation, with particular attention to analysis of the adequacy and stability of funding for safety net districts. The first part examines definitions of adequacy and stability from the perspectives of (1) educational finance…

Inequality in school facilities is emerging as a pivotal factor in court decisions that have ruled state school-funding systems unconstitutional. This report examines cases in three states--Arizona, Ohio, and Texas--where courts considered school facilities paramount in ruling the funding system unconstitutional. Arizona's school funding system…

Despite a decade of reform efforts, important policy questions concerning the efficiency and equity of the current financing system remain unanswered. This paper examines New York State fiscal and educational outcome data for 1985/86 through 1989/90. Data are presented for school district expenditures and teacher salaries; local revenue bases and…

With reference to the case of Ohio, this paper considers whether various types of state grants affect school districts by increasing total spending or by providing tax relief. Regression equations are used to estimate the effects of categorical and general purpose assistance on local tax revenue and on outlays for teacher salaries. (MJL)