This article presents the state education finance and governance profile of Alabama. The state is home to 1,538 public schools distributed across 67 county school systems and 64 city school systems. State spending is allocated via two separate budgets, "the general fund" for all noneducation related expenditures and the Education Trust…

This article provides information on Maryland's state education finance and governance. The state provides a foundation funding program, which guarantees a minimum or foundation level of per-pupil expenditures for children in all the state's school systems; this is done through a combination of state aid and local revenue. In 2002, Maryland…

Individual states have a long tradition of providing financial support for their public K-12 schools. This support reflects the state's constitutional requirement to educate its citizens. However, states vary widely in both the amount of funding provided to public schools, and the distribution of funding among schools. The fundamental observation…

This article presents a case study of the school finance controversy in Texas with special emphasis on the results of two school finance bills enacted in successive sessions of the legislature. (Author/IRT)

Describes major provisions of a $1.4 billion school finance plan proposed by the Texas State Teachers Association, and compares this plan to the finance reform plans proposed by Texas Governor Briscoe and a Texas legislative committee. Available from: Salary and Merit, Suite 908, 1835 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006; $2.50 single copy. (JG)

Uses a foundation-equalizing model to develop a number of indicators measuring the extent to which states utilize the full range of equalization tools at its disposal. Illustrates the utility of these indicators through an evaluation of the school finance reform instituted by Rhode Island between 1992 and 1996. (Contains 25 references.)…

Presents a proposal to achieve major finance reform goals by providing property tax relief and increasing state funding out of income-tax receipts, relying on Illinois' growth dividend. The plan is funded by proportional taxes and would make school reform more politically palatable to affluent taxpayers. (28 footnotes) (MLH)

This publication is the first of a series of reports on the Alaska School Finance Study. This published report essentially covers the informational phase of the study, describing in detail the principles, basic data on current funding, and trends that comprise the current situation in educational finance nationally and in Alaska. Separate chapters…

Three conference papers on school finance reform in Tennessee are presented in this document, with a focus on the disparities between rural and urban public school funding. The first paper examines the nature and size of contributions of various funding sources to the per-pupil revenue in local school districts, analyzes specific problems of the…

New Jersey's school funding reform initiative, the Quality Education Act of 1990 and its 1991 amendments, are described in this booklet. The amendments attempt to equalize the tax burden of all districts, provide property relief, and impose stricter spending limitations. In the new foundation funding system, the state provides aid based on a…

This report documents the factors involved in the consideration of two bills by the Minnesota legislature in 1977. The first bill, designed to increase the level of state foundation aid to education, was affected by public concern over inflation and property tax rates and by the impact of enrollment decline. Lobbying efforts by organizations of…

This publication examines 16 of the 18 basic educational issues identified in an earlier publication entitled, "Basic Issues in Texas Public School Finance: An Analysis of the Plans." Five major school finance bills pending before the Texas Legislature in April 1975 are discussed in relationship to each of the 16 issues, with cost…

Per-pupil property valuation extremes among Colorado school districts are as varied as the landscape. A foundation plan levels funding disparities for school operations, but financing of major capital outlay projects still depends on local property taxation. Funds are needed to finance classroom technologies and Internet connections. (MLH)

This document gathers together the Alaska state statutes dealing specifically with education and those affecting education although not limited solely to education. Both elementary and secondary education and postsecondary education are dealt with. The topics covered include the administration of the schools; the rights and responsibilities of…