
School Finance in the ’90s
Compiled by Carole Hynek, July 1999
Clippings – School Finance. (371.2/W7z and Z) Articles on school finance clipped from newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and other sources.
Principles of a Sound State School Finance System. National Conference of State Legislatures. July 1996. (371.2/N213g) Designed to give policymakers broad principles for the design of state school funding systems. It surmises no one funding formula is right for all states, given voter diversity and interpretations of state constitutions with regard to education. A list of resources is included.
School Facts 1998. Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, 1998. (370.2/W75) An annual research publication featuring 1996-97 actual and 1997-98 budgeted figures for revenues and expenditures. Includes test scores, tax rates, teacher salaries, district demographics, and other information.
School Finance: A Policy Perspective. Odden, Allen R., and Picus, Lawrence O. 1992. (371.2/Od1) Addresses traditional school finance issues and formulas. It is supplemented with a computer simulation that models the effects of different school finance distribution decisions. Finishes by discussing new school finance issues and their implications.
School Finance: State and Federal Efforts to Target Poor Students. U.S. General Accounting Office. Report to Congressional Requesters. January 1998. (371.2/X21) GAO found that targeting reduced, but did not eliminate, the gap between high- and low-poverty school districts. Although targeting helped close the funding gap, the percentage of total funding from state and federal sources was more important in reducing the gaps.
"Financing Schools." The David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Winter 1997. (371.2/C33) This issue of the journal focuses on financing schools. Articles summarize knowledge and experience in selected areas relevant to public policy in the U.S. that will impact school finance.
Voters and School Finance: The Impact of Public Opinion. National Conference of State Legislatures. February 1993. (371.2/N213c) This report examines the success and failure of school finance laws and initiatives in seven states. Outlines scenarios in which education finance measures are more likely to succeed, given public attitudes toward school finance.
http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/CPRE/ – Consortium for Policy Research in Education. Allows both experts and novices to familiarize themselves with issues related to school finance. Information is provided on previous and current school finance systems. Suggests approaches to reforming school finance.
http://www.public-policy.org/~ncpa/pi/edu/edu8.html – National Center for Policy Analysis. Articles about school finance at both state and local levels. Click on subject heading "State and Local Spending" to access the subject list.
http://www.nga.org/Pubs/IssueBriefs/1998/980901FinanceSchools.asp - National Governors Association. This Issue Brief highlights school finance issues that emerged from court cases during the past several years. Includes recommendations for policymakers.
http://nces.ed.gov/edfin/ - National Center for Educational Statistics. Free online documents on School Finance (most hardcopies available at LRB) including: Inequalities in Public School District Revenues – (371.2 X20).