The New Jersey legislature revised the school funding formula by eliminating $250 million in state aid over 4 years to 150 suburban districts and sending nearly $1 billion more to 30 less affluent districts. Contends that the method will ensure mediocrity and stifle innovation. Proposes three other funding formulas. (MLF)

A Nevada study provides information on the following: (1) 1987-88 general fund budget allocations for all 17 school districts; (2) Nevada's school district costs compared with those from a national sample of comparable districts; and (3) district-by-district trends in the number of teachers, administrators, and auxiliary staff employed over a…

In Canada, a local school system's budget is financed from provincial grants, a local school tax, and miscellaneous revenues. The bulk of provincial grant revenue is allocated to counteract inequalities in the wealth base. Two tables and one figure display information by province. (seven references) (MLF)

Increasing numbers of school systems are reducing their transportation services. Citing the recession, reduction in state aid, and defeat of tax levies as the cause, the school transportation issue is seen by some as evidence of inequality. (MLF)

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…

A more inclusive definition of wealth for higher education institutions that adds capitalized value of annual gifts, grants, and public appropriations to the traditional endowment-based measure is proposed. It is found that, when the definition of wealth includes these nonendowment sources, public higher education institutions dominate in…

Institutional researchers are often called on to compare financial performance across institutions as part of comprehensive institutional management teams. Several types and sources of national data, including databases and publications, are appropriate for this, each with particular strengths and limitations. Three sources also provide…

Superintendent Dan Domenech unsuccessfully battled New York's governor and legislature about a cut in state funding. Long Island has only 16 percent of the state's population but is being earmarked for 50 percent of the cuts. Domenech's earlier successes included a preschool for disadvantaged children, a full-day kindergarten, and a before- and…

Shows how to estimate comprehensive educational cost indexes that control for school district inefficiency and include them in state aid formulas. Simulates for New York the impact of several aid formulas on educational performance and evaluates them using several equity criteria. (Author)

Discusses Milwaukee's (Wisconsin) use of public tax dollars to finance private education and what the implications are for public schools. Examines how the controversial concept got started, its support in the courts, and the pros and cons of its implementation on public schools relative to the school-choice debate. (GR)

Alberta's 1996 introduction of performance-based funding for colleges, universities, and technical institutes is a substantial departure from previous Canadian practice. Origins and implementation of the two-year pilot project are described and several conceptual deficiencies are examined. Further research on the impact on educational quality and…

Fearing a federal court in Oklahoma might end a state-financed merit-scholarship program targeted by a discrimination lawsuit, black legislators passed a bill making the program race and gender neutral. State regents are criticized for failing to develop effective policy to remedy past discrimination. (MSE)

Discusses how colleges and state agencies are divided over responsibility for the costs of helping students with disabilities, with slow progress delaying student accommodations and straining college finances. (EV)

Considers how higher education supply is adapting to an evolving new world and suggests areas where research would shed light on the strategic choices institutions are making and help guide policy decisions. These include effects of tuition levels on state appropriations and out-of-state enrollment, and effects of admissions policies on different…

Explores how most states have adopted financing systems that link colleges' appropriations to performance, despite little evidence that the plans produce results. (EV)