District-level fiscal equity, when achieved, will not necessarily result in a fairer distribution of educational resources. School-level inequities generally exceed those found at the district level in most states. If districts were required to distribute funds to schools on a per-pupil basis, school-level equalization could be accomplished…

Explores the recent status of funding formula use among the states, focusing on changes over the last eight years. Determines how guidelines or formulas drive usage and discusses innovations in formula design. Funding formulas are becoming more complex and are used to protect base budgets and achieve equity. Although formula usage will not…

Confronting state funding problems and the federal government's decreasing fiscal responsibility for education, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education heard compelling testimony last fall from Kern Alexander, who described the "coming apart of America." Pointing to profound inequalities within states, he urged…

During 1995 to 1996, a state-appointed task force examined historical information about New Mexico's school funding, the context of K-12 education, major funding-formula changes since 1974, data from interviews and surveys of school personnel, and data on fiscal capacity, tax effort, equity, and costs. Funding formula changes were recommended. (21…

Under the 1950 federal Impact Aid law, school districts can receive federal assistance to meet financial burdens due to acquisition of real property by the United States, and to educate children who reside on federal property and whose parents work on federal property. Congress is to reauthorize or extend Impact Aid in 1999. (MLH)

This article discusses the city of Denver's poll on a new teacher-compensation plan. The poll showed those who had made up their minds to be about evenly divided, leaving more than 20 percent undecided. Proponents have been making the rounds at schools in recent weeks to try winning teachers over to their side. If members of the Denver Classroom…

The Commission initiated a funding to review national funding models for higher education led by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS). Each institution contributed to the cost of the study and participated in the effort. NCHEMS' key recommendation is to move the funding discussions for higher education away from a…

This study examines Utah's funding system for public education and provides an analysis of the fiscal impact of allowing parents to use a portion of their child's state education funding to attend a school of their choice, public or private. Like many states, Utah is facing pressure to improve its system of public education funding. The state's…

Adequacy lawsuits have, with little fanfare, emerged as a major alternative strategy in the pursuit of improved public education in the United States. Plaintiffs allege insufficient resources to provide students with the quality of education promised in their state's constitution, hoping the courts will step in and order the state to increase…

To evaluate the adequacy and efficiency of preschool education, the RAND Corporation has undertaken the California Preschool Study to improve understanding of achievement gaps in the early elementary grades, the adequacy of preschool education currently given, and what efficiencies or additional resources might be brought to bear in early care and…

This memorandum describes the calculations used to figure the instructional subsidy for postsecondary education in Ohio, focusing on why the model operates as it does and the implications of the current funding model. The two principle factors in the instructional subsidy model are institutional enrollments and actual costs. The model begins with…

The system used in Illinois for financing public education underwent major reform in 1973. At that time four alternative formulas for determining equalization aid levels were established. In 1980 three of these formulas were eliminated and only a modified version of the Resource Equalizer formula remains in use. This report provides an overview of…

State-level funding formulas should be changed from enrollment-based to fixed cost-based, using standards such as those of the Association of Research Libraries. Funding linked with programmatic changes encourages quality of the institution and rewards effective library management. (CDD)

Unlike in the K?12 education sector, where state and local spending eclipses national participation, the federal government has become the primary source of postsecondary education support for U.S. college students. In this Washington-centric context, accentuated by recent steep rises in tuition and other education-related costs, this report seeks…

Currently, state aid for education in New York State is distributed through over 50 separate and unnecessarily complex formulas and grants-in-aid. The approach recommended in this proposal consolidates 39 of these current categories into a single foundation allocation, while increasing the percentage of the state share and providing districts with…