Current formula funding practices in the South and implications for the future are analyzed. Formula funding systems are used in 12 of the 14 states belonging to the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). Changes that have occurred in the formulas of each state since 1973-74 are described. Data from 1977-78 academic year are compared to the…

The current Illinois school finance formula fails to bring very wealthy districts within acceptable equalization bounds. Manipulating tax rates of wealthy and other districts is unacceptable or financially unfeasible. This paper proposes a two-stage process requiring state equalization at the county level, followed by equalization within each…

For the past year, the issue of public education funding has been particularly contentious in California. A pitched political battle between education advocates and the administration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger began with a December 2004 preview of the governor's budget proposal for 2005?06. The fight continued through a spring filled with…

This digest presents a summary of historical and contemporary community college funding sources and challenges. It identifies four main categories of funding: (1) state and local appropriations; (2) tuition; (3) federal funds, grants, and contracts; and (4) endowments. The discussion of state funding covers lump sum appropriations, funding…

This report summarizes the findings and recommendations of the Community College Funding Formula Task Force and proposes a new funding formula. Sections include: (1) Principles (Identifies twelve principles for an effective community college funding system); (2) Iowa's System of Community Colleges (Discusses mission, access, quality, and history;…

Although the Oregon Legislature has succeeded in creating a funding formula that equalizes per pupil spending, it is struggling with budgetary inadequacies. There is no dedicated funding source for schools, voters have enacted further property-tax limitations, and some schools have had to cut programs and staff every year. Nevertheless, Oregon's…

Describes a study investigating primary budgeting strategies and the use of funding formulas in community colleges in Nebraska. Results indicated that college administrators place primary reliance on rationalist approaches to budgeting, use performance-based budgets, and identify composite funding formulas as the most prevalent type of formula.…

Statewide finance reform offers a one-time opportunity for overhauling services. Any funding remedy should address improved base funding for low-income schools and investment in programs and practices designed to help schools increase student performance. This article describes a mechanism for using new monies to disseminate effective programs,…

Summarizes Kentucky's progress toward educational equity, concentrating on (1) the Kentucky Supreme Court's 1989 decision declaring the state's educational finance system unconstitutional and (2) a description and preliminary evaluation of the state's new four-part funding formula featuring pupil weighted averages for expenditure by wealth…

The New Jersey Supreme Court has significantly redefined the state's constitutional obligation to poor, urban children--providing a "thorough and efficient" education geared to a post-industrial economy. Measures have shifted from expenditures to provision of resources to meet state curriculum standards. The problem: ensuring adequate…

Issues in funding adult higher education in Britain include (1) complexity of methodology; (2) discrimination against part-time study; (3) reward for teaching quality; (4) need for guidance services; (5) resources for innovation; (6) funding for noncredit programs; and (7) open and flexible delivery. A funding model based on input, process, and…

New methods of financing higher education used in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom are summarized and compared. The paper concludes that while these approaches are designed to improve efficiency, realize specific outcomes, and leverage additional funds from other sources, they may have unanticipated, unintended, and, in some…

A 1990 lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Illinois' school-finance system was dismissed twice by lower courts and finally by the state supreme court in 1996. Lacking pressure to change, the legislature failed to pass necessary educational adequacy, equity, and tax-relief legislation. The status quo prevailed. (Contains 10 references.)…

Since its introduction in 2001, the Australian (Commonwealth) Government's socio-economic status (SES)-based funding scheme for private schools has been criticised as inequitable. The author argues that the inequities of the scheme are the result of government policy rather than the SES-based model itself. Compared with the former education…

This article explores possible fiscal incentives associated with various state formulas for allocating special education funds and the degree to which such incentives affect special education. First we review empirical and contextual evidence in the literature that addresses the relationship between funding formulas and special education…