Bright Futures is a Florida-state-funded scholarship program that pays either 75% or 100%, depending on the scholarship level, for up to 132 credits hours in a 120-credit-hour program. Prepaid plans are purchased for a student prior to their attending college, and usually when the future college student is a young child. The plans guarantee the…

State assumption of all responsibility for financing education would enhance equalization of educational opportunity, fix accountability for educational finance with the governor and the State legislature, accelerate measurement of student achievement, eliminate burdensome property taxes, and undercut the fiscal logic that now supports…

This report briefly summarizes the background, the criteria and procedures for evaluation, the findings, and the recommendations of the Tennessee School Finance Equity Study that, during the two year period ending in November, 1979, examined Tennessee's present program for financing the public schools, kindergarten through grade 12. The purpose of…

Discusses the implications for state funding of education behind the recent California case, Serrano vs Priest. (JF)

The increasing tendency in North Carolina to support school expenditures from local revenues may be leading to greater disparities in financing from one school district to another. (Author/IRT)

The system used in Illinois for financing public education underwent major reform in 1973. At that time four alternative formulas for determining equalization aid levels were established. In 1980 three of these formulas were eliminated and only a modified version of the Resource Equalizer formula remains in use. This report provides an overview of…

Discusses Minnesota's recent tax reform legislation which provides for increased state financing of education. (JF)

This description of the Tennessee equalization plan consists of (1) a description of Tennessee's current public school finance program; (2) recommendations for change in the existing program; (3) a description of the conformance of the recommended changes to the equity guidelines developed by the United States Commissioner of Education pursuant to…

This discussion begins with the five major political values that were reflected in the 1973 reform of the Illinois school aid system. The lawmakers wanted to spend state dollars for education in a way that would improve student and taxpayer equity, maintain local control of school districts, aid poverty-impacted districts, not discriminate against…

Analyzes the South Dakota system of financing education in light of major cases considering the constitutionality of state finance systems and of the approaches courts have used in determining constitutionality. Examines the particular finance problems that face the school systems of South Dakota. Available from University of South Dakota School…

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…

A number of educational finance proposals suggest that the State become the primary collector and dispenser of revenue to support public education. Under such proposals the State would become, in effect, the employer for collective bargaining purposes. Accordingly, this paper deals with representation issues, the scope of bargaining, and problems…

The paper estimates redistributional effects of New York's programs to improve equity in postsecondary education finance in its state university system, and also provides preliminary estimates of public-private enrollment effects. The programs appear to be giving disproportionate benefits to private institutions. (MF)

Discusses the effect of recent court decisions on the role of the state in school support. (JF)