An examination of school funding in cities in Michigan and Texas found wide disparities in the total amount of property taxes collected, but also differences in property tax rates. Families living in high-poverty neighborhoods whose children attended schools with relatively low funding actually paid higher property tax rates than wealthy families…

Although considerable education research has focused on how K-12 school districts spend money, no extant literature has specifically examined how these districts invested in online endeavors, most notably website traffic cost. As the Internet and school district websites have become a crucial source of information for many educational…

For various, largely unknown reasons, decision makers do not have equal interest in all Extension and outreach topics pertinent to a particular concept. This situation hampers Extension's ability to effectively deliver information and efficiently allocate limited resources. Using survey data, we identified heterogeneous preference for various…

Most Texans would rather sell a favorite horse than vote for a tax hike that promises bigger government. Yet San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro has not only persuaded his constituents to spend $248 million to pay for an unusual and ambitious preschool program for poor 4-year-olds, but he is also going to open doors in August--a mere nine months after…

This dissertation study focused on three aspects of staff development in North Texas: (1) funding sources, (2) types of professional learning programs, and (3) teachers' views of the effectiveness of the funded programs. Qualitative data came from interviews with nine district administrators concerning funding sources and how those resources…

This article examines ad valorem tax rates per $100 valuation and the resultant tax revenues per in-district contact hour for Texas nonmetropolitan and metropolitan public community colleges. The results of the analyses indicate no difference in ad valorem tax rates between these institutions but demonstrate differences in the resultant tax…

In 2004, over 300 school districts in Texas challenged the constitutionality of the Texas system of school finance. In West Orange-Cove et al. v. Neeley et al., the plaintiffs argued that because most school districts were at or near a state-imposed property tax rate ceiling and because the share of state education funding was declining, most…

Part one of this trilogy of policy briefs explains the challenge facing Texas in funding public education. This policy brief explains why a Texas-style personal income tax is the best way to meet the needs of Texas. Only a personal income tax can significantly reduce reliance on property taxes--cutting the school operations tax from $1.50 to…

In response to concerns over funding for school construction, the state of Texas has implemented two programs to assist school districts with construction-related debt. This paper examines whether these programs have accomplished their objectives of reducing property taxes (the Existing Debt Allotment (EDA) program) and increasing capital outlays…

This is the third in a trilogy of policy briefs discussing education and taxation. The first brief explained Texas' need to increase its investment in public education. The second brief explained how a Texas-style personal income tax is the best way both to adequately support public education and to reduce reliance on the property tax. That brief…

The Texas Foundation School Program, popularly known as the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP), is a very complex approach to school finance. It provides basic assistance in three areas--minimum salaries, operating allowances, and transportation--and additional assistance in two others--vocational education and special education. The state pays…

The Texas Community College Teachers Association (TCCTA), formerly known as the Texas Junior College Teachers Association (TJCTA), publishes the TCCTA Messenger newsletter four times a year to cover events, legislation and TCCTA activities affecting Texas community colleges and their faculty. This document contains four newsletter issues…

Contains the full text of the Texas case finding that the current method of funding public education in that State violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. (JF)

Although the school-tax burden is shared by several classes of property owners, Texas homeowners provide a major share of the support for financing local schools. From 1981-1983 homeowners' school-tax share grew by approximately 9.8% while the school-tax share for oil, gas, and mineral owners declined 18%. (JHZ)

This document provides summary statistics for public community and technical colleges in Texas. It is divided into two sections. Section 1 contains comparative financial data for all public community and technical college districts and systems, including tax base, collections and total assessed tax rates; total education and general fund…