A major feature of the school finance landscape over the last two decades has been the reform of state school finance systems. Using the case of Maryland's Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools Act, this paper extends the current literature by developing a conceptual framework for residential bidding and sorting and using it to estimate housing…

As states consider increases to K-12 spending amid better economic conditions, governors on opposite sides of the partisan divide are proposing significantly different plans and arguments for the best ways to use new education aid. Two prime examples: Minnesota and Ohio, a pair of Midwestern states with chief executives intent on pumping more…

This paper examines the short-run distributional effects of publicly provided education services in Greece using static incidence analysis. Public education is found to be inequality-reducing but the progressivity of the system withers away as we move up to higher educational levels. We employ a framework of both relative and absolute inequality…

Not long after he took office in January, California Governor Jerry Brown presented residents of his state with a simple, stark plan for correcting the state's massive budget imbalance. The Democrat called for making deep and painful cuts to programs across government, while sparing schools. To raise revenue, he proposed allowing the public to…

A shortcoming of the conventional ordinary least squares (OLS) approaches for estimating median voter models of education demand is the inability to more fully explain the spatial relationships between neighboring school districts. Consequently, two school districts that appear to be descriptively similar in terms of conventional measures of…

Examines the finding of the Southern Regional Education Board study in which state-local tax potential (ability) is estimated and compared with actual collections (effort). Also discusses the current and future adequacy and equity of the state-local tax revenue structure. (Author/IRT)

Presents arguments against the use of incentives that provide additional state aid for districts that exert additional tax effort, with particular reference to the new school finance plan in Utah. (Author/IRT)

This paper examines recent efforts in Arkansas to nullify property taxes. It describes how anti-tax citizens, whose push for a constitutional amendment in 1998 was thwarted by the state supreme court, have vowed to collect enough signatures to place the amendment on the 2000 ballot. The proposed amendment will abolish ad valorem taxes upon real…

Traces the presence of tax burden equity and educational funding equity interests in recent court rulings in order to place Connecticut's Horton vs Meskill in context. Also describes the California and New Jersey state legislatures' responses to similar state Supreme Court rulings on school finance. (Author/IRT)

Examines the fiscal environment surrounding New York's use of property taxes to raise local education revenue. The property tax should not be abandoned. The recent statewide increased burden stems from a cyclical slowing in personal income growth and a shift in funding responsibility from state to local governments. Application of the property tax…

Proposes a method for finding the appropriate level of teacher salaries in different states, based on states' and regions' average fiscal capacities and efforts for instructional salary costs. Applies the method to salary data from all states and compares it to methods based on actual salary levels. (RW)

The 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) was passed in an atmosphere of excitement, optimism, and national attention. Recent survey results suggest that most Kentucky residents want KERA to succeed and are willing to provide the necessary resources. However, skepticism may be increasing. Support differs according to several demographic…

Discusses the Texas Supreme Court's upholding of a 1987 trial court decision that declared the Texas public school finance system unconstitutional. Summarizes remedies and requirements for equalizing resources, providing adequate resources to spur productivity, and structuring the system to conserve the considerable dollars required for equity and…

Discusses the Texas Supreme Court's upholding of a 1987 trial court decision that declared the Texas public school finance system unconstitutional. Summarizes remedies and requirements for equalizing resources, providing adequate resources to spur productivity, and structuring the system to conserve the considerable dollars required for equity and…

The court's finding invalidates New York State's system of financing schools because of problems including municipal overburden. (Author/IRT)