This dissertation examines the impact a Tax Ratification Election has on student achievement in Texas. Texas schools continue to struggle with shrinking budgets and increasing standards of student achievement (Equity Center, 2011). This study will provide greater insight into whether school districts that have completed a TRE have created a…

This guide introduces and updates information on the Arizona public school finance system. It is intended to promulgate a wider understanding of public school finance. It includes tables and figures listing revenue support trends and regulations. Topics cover school district financing prior to 1980, the "bucket-of-need" analysis of…

This brief examines two components of Colorado's school-finance act: state aid and local property taxes. It describes how the Department of Education accounts for about 41 percent of the state General Fund appropriations, the vast majority of which is used for the school-finance act. Roughly 10 years ago, the General Assembly set property taxes…

Findings of a study that examined the relationship between Pennsylvania teachers' salaries and local wealth are presented in this paper. Statistical analyses of 491 Pennsylvania school districts involved regression, t tests, and chi square. Findings indicate that two factors had a statistically significant impact on local teacher salaries: (1) the…

This report examines tax reform in Vermont. A unanimous state supreme court decision in 1997 ruled that the state's educational finance system was unconstitutional. In response to this ruling, the legislature passed a new statewide property-tax system with two tiers: a block grant of $5,010 per pupil and a guaranteed yield for spending above the…

Results of a review of Wisconsin's general program for providing financial support to local school districts are presented in this paper, with a focus on developments of the 1980s. First, a brief history of the state aid program from 1949-80 is provided. The next section identifies seven disequalizing factors of the equalization aid program and…

This report identifies the resources needed to help Maine's children achieve high academic standards. It outlines recommendations for improving equal opportunity through equitable distribution of resources. The document, prepared by the Essential Programs and Service Committee of Maine's State Board of Education, addresses the Legislature's charge…

Although the Serrano decision is not binding on Michigan, the state has adopted the fourth alternative listed by the California court--school district power equalizing. (Author/MLF)

Presents a model explaining voter behavior in educational tax rate referenda, arguing that increasing rejection of these referenda is explained by a narrowing gap between actual school expenditures and the level of expenditures voters regard as optimal. (JG)

This study attempts to determine the potential economic impact of increasing levels of intergovernmental educational grants on school district spending decisions. This question is addressed through a cross-sectional analysis of the choice decisions made by 192 school districts in Kentucky. A conceptual model that evaluates the trade-off between…

Equality of educational opportunity implies giving each child an opportunity for unlimited success in the educational system. Equal educational opportunity requires a particularized educational response to the characteristics of the individual. An educational finance plan that provides equality of educational opportunity should take into account…

This paper describes ways in which the public school district can cut costs, similar to those utilized by the private sector in a shrinking economy. One strategy is to generate new revenue and protect old revenue from erosion through "ad valorem" taxation of real property. Between appraisal years, schools districts can actively seek out…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the effect of a Pennsylvania subsidy formula on expenditures per pupil in the state's public school districts. The Equalized Subsidy for Basic Education (ESBE) was adopted in 1983 as a system to equalize resources among school districts. Out of 500 operating Pennsylvania school districts, 25…

This paper traces the historical development of New York State Small City School District (SCSD) school budget voting policy. State policymakers are currently debating whether to change from representative to referendum school budget voting in SCSDs. Following a historical analysis of the current debate, the argument is made that there no longer…